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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326636">The Curse of the Sea</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samyiswriting/pseuds/Samyiswriting'>Samyiswriting</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I should stop before I spoil everything, Loss of Virginity, M/M, MerMay, MerMay 2020, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Romance, Secrets, Smut, Soul Bond, Touch-Starved, mermaid, mermaid au, merman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 16:40:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>63,298</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samyiswriting/pseuds/Samyiswriting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As the last year at Hogwarts draws to a close, Draco Malfoy behaves in a most peculiar manner, unintentionally revealing his bizarre fear of water. It's sure to get Harry's attention.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>229</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1138</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Glow in the Dark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the English translation of my German Fanfic "Der Fluch der See" (https://www.fanfiktion.de/s/5e3c273f000514ca1c5483e5/1/Der-Fluch-der-See-Drarry-).<br/>Find the Russian translation here: https://ficbook.net/readfic/10597961/27270064<br/>I LOVED writing it and seeing that people enjoyed reading the German version motivated me to try translating it.<br/>All my gratitude to my lovely friend Larni (larnni on instagram) who I forced to help me and fix the obvious mistakes. Can't thank you enough, love!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Screeching laughter, a shout of protest, a gargle and a hand clinging to Harry's shoulder. Surprised, the eighteen-year-old wizard whirled around, barely able to gasp for breath before he was pulled under the water surface.</p><p>It was a wonderful day; the sun sent its warming rays towards the earth and made the entire student body of Hogwarts cheer with joy. Early in the morning they had all gone to the Great Lake, had secured themselves places in the warm sun and were now swimming in the lake or playing magic ball games on the shore to pass the time. An ordinary early summer Sunday in Harry's eighth school year.</p><p>But at the moment Harry wasn’t feeling too peaceful as he just emerged from the water panting and frantically searching for his lost glasses while he brushed his wet hair out of his eyes. Hermione, who had pulled him under the water, probably unintentionally, as she had been dunked by Ron, also just reappeared from under the water and thought of some very creative curse words for her boyfriend. Ron just laughed and hurriedly fled towards the shore. Harry found his glasses in his hair where they had gotten stuck. Better stuck than lost. With effort and misery, he freed the temples from his tangled hair and put the frame back on his nose. His two best friends had already waded to the shore ahead of him and continued to squabble there. Harry sighed amusedly and hurried to the shore as well.</p><p>“You are impossible!”, Hermione giggled just as Harry caught up with them, then she swiftly pulled Ron down to her for a kiss.</p><p>That was Harry's cue and he walked past them, back to the picnic blanket where they had left their things. A group of Slytherins, who all jumped into the water enthusiastically, hardly caught his eye. Instead, the blond snake, who had made himself comfortable on the shore and made no effort to follow his friends drew his attention. Harry tugged his lips to a knowing grin and strolled effortlessly to Draco Malfoy, who was resting not too far from his picnic blanket anyway.</p><p>“No desire to cool off?” Harry asked and came to a halt in front of Draco's place.</p><p>The blond eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders, “Apparently not.”</p><p>“Afraid you'll ruin your perfect hairdo?" triumphed Harry, who was very sure that he was hitting the bull's eye with his assumption.</p><p>“Bugger off, Potter. You're blocking the sun!”</p><p>All right, the Slytherin refused to be provoked, but a little fun couldn't hurt. “But something that cools you down would be exactly what you need right now!” Harry remarked obligingly. He then began to shake his head with such force, that his wet hair made drops fly through the air and certainly also in the direction of Draco.</p><p>A very unmanly screech confirmed Harry's theory. He was just about to look up to grin victoriously at Draco when a jet of water hit him right in the face. Gasping, Harry staggered back. He needed a moment before he found his balance again and then watched Draco Malfoy, who was probably responsible for the flood of water, run away.</p><p>“Oversensitive as always," Harry grumbled, glancing at Draco for a moment, who was heading for the castle and then walked untroubled to his picnic blanket. Malfoy's vanity and over-dramatized reaction shouldn't bother him, they didn't really hate each other that much anymore anyway.</p><p>~</p><p>Monday morning, 3 a.m. and Harry was lying awake in his bed. For a while, he tossed and turned impatiently until he decided that he could do something else to pass the time. Hurriedly he drew the dark red curtains of his canopy bed, spoke a <em>Lumos</em> and opened the Marauder's Map to keep himself busy. He often did this when old memories or just the lunar cycle deprived him of sleep. As usual, he scoured all the dormitories, enjoying the fact that he spotted two students who were not sleeping in their own beds and were roaming around in each others. A Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff. What a scandal!</p><p>Harry's gaze continued to wander further across the Hogwarts' corridors until he finally scoured the Grounds. Now that it was getting warmer, he’d be able to catch more and more couples hanging around outside their beds and in the wild at night curfew. But tonight it wasn't a couple that caught Harry's interest. No, it was an all-too-familiar name that was definitely not to be seen in the Slytherin dormitory. Draco Malfoy was at the Great Lake. Harry arched his brows. If the guy felt like cooling off, why didn't he just take a shower instead of sneaking off in the middle of the night? The lake was not that safe at this time. But before Harry could worry too much about it, Draco started to make his way back to Hogwarts and Harry's eyelids became heavy.</p><p>~</p><p>“Crap, crap, crap!” Harry cursed loudly as he rushed to class, 15 minutes late. McGonagall would not only kill him but also expose him in front of the whole class, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike. Ron had tried to wake him up three times before he had given up. A treacherous decision, at least Harry thought so. And now he hadn't even had breakfast.</p><p>Inelegant but effective, Harry slid around a corner and turned into the next corridor; not far from him he spotted another straggler who was in no less of a hurry than Harry. To make matters worse, it was Draco Malfoy. Actually, this wasn’t a bad thing, but he was the one that had kept Harry awake by his nightly activities. For a moment Harry pondered whether he should draw attention to himself when he noticed the unmade hair of the Slytherin. No time for vanity today? Well, a little payback couldn't hurt then. With a single movement, Harry drew his wand and quietly hurried to get a little closer to Draco. “<em>Aguamenti!"</em></p><p>The jet of water that shot out of his wand was not particularly strong, but certainly strong enough to throw Malfoy completely off balance. Flabbergasted he turned to Harry, then opened his eyes wide in shock. Before Harry even had a chance to laugh at the expression, the blond opened a door a few feet away and disappeared into the apparent broom cupboard. Perplexed, Harry stared at the door and again at the puddle where Draco had stood a moment ago. A rumble from the broom cupboard reminded him to stare at the door again.</p><p>“Um, Malfoy?" Harry asked still puzzled.</p><p>An angry grumble behind the door made Harry jump. “Get lost! Or these words will be the last words you ever hear!” That was definitely Draco's voice, even if it sounded a bit distorted by the wood.</p><p>“Are you okay though? It was just a joke, I thought-"</p><p>“GO AWAY! "</p><p>Harry stared at the doorknob for a moment, wondering whether he should simply resist the request, but somehow, he felt a bit queasy. Something was very wrong here and it was perhaps not the right moment to find out what it was. So Harry turned on his heel and hurried on to his transfiguration class.</p><p>~</p><p>Harry hardly noticed the conversations at the lunch table, he was too busy staring, not very discreetly, at a certain blond Slytherin. Since the incident before the transfiguration class, Harry couldn't stop brooding over what Draco's strange behaviour was all about. He had told his friends about it, but they didn't seem to understand his distrust, so Harry pondered on his own. If he didn't know better, he'd think Draco was afraid of water. Did that exist? Aquaphobia? Then why had Draco been at the lake? Shouldn't he generally avoid water if it frightened him?</p><p>Lost in thought, Harry shoved a spoonful of pudding into his mouth and chewed on it. Petunia would have slapped him on the head for it, but the Dursleys were far in the past.</p><p>“Harry?" Hermione interrupted Harry's thoughts.</p><p>“Hmm?"</p><p>“Let it go. If you really think something's up, ask him. I will not bear to witness your obsessive pursuit of Malfoy again!" Hermione's tone betrayed that contradiction was futile, so Harry decided to ask Draco about his behaviour. On that occasion, he could also ask him directly why he was sneaking out of his dormitory at night. Yes, that was a <em>magical </em>idea! Draco would <em>definitely</em> not consider him a stalker! But at least then his sixth year at school would not be repeated.</p><p>After lunch, Harry thought of a few questions he wanted to confront Draco with. The questions <em>“Why do you react like a startled cat as soon as a few drops of water touch you?"</em> and <em>“Where do you hang around at night?" </em>sounded as ridiculous as they were, yet they were at the top of Harry's mental list. After all, he couldn't care less what Malfoy would think of him afterwards. He was Harry motherfucking Potter, he was definitely allowed to ask absolutely inappropriate questions.</p><p>Harry <em>“motherfucking</em><em>” </em>Potter, unfortunately, didn't feel so casual anymore when he faced the blond man and insecurely asked him for a private conversation. Apart from the fact that Draco was flanked by his friends, he looked particularly condescending today. <em>Wonderful </em>timing to draw his attention to the fact that he was constantly being watched by Harry and, in his opinion, was behaving strangely. This could <em>only </em>go well!</p><p>Nevertheless, Draco agreed and strolled deliberately slowly following Harry until they were out of earshot. Harry's gaze fell on a portrait, showing a little witch who was observing them above her gigantic nose and was eavesdropping with great interest; perhaps a broom closet would be a more suitable place for their purpose, but he didn't want to awaken certain memories of the morning unnecessarily.</p><p>“So, what's on your mind, Potter?" Draco asked while he examined his fingernails with fascination. Well, that was an excellent start.</p><p>“I need to talk to you!" Harry explained determinedly, ignoring the little witch in her picture frame.</p><p>Draco rolled his eyes. “Well, I could guess that this wasn’t going to be an unplanned rendezvous.”</p><p>Harry's cheeks became hot and he had to force himself not to lower his gaze to the tips of his toes. What a conceited- “What was that this morning?” Harry interrupted his own thoughts.</p><p>Draco's eyebrows sprang up and he now looked directly at Harry instead of his fingernails. “You're the one asking <em>me</em>? You ambushed me!”</p><p>“I didn’t just-! You were the one that started it at the lake!” Actually, that wasn't quite the truth either, but to shake out hair in Draco's direction could really not be described as an attack.</p><p>“Aside from the fact that I haven't started anything, you're acting absolutely childish!” Draco replied dryly, devoting his entire attention to his fingernails again.</p><p>Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair; that didn't develop into an explanation, so he had to go all in. “All right, but where do you sneak off to at night?" Harry didn't think it was wise to tell Draco that he knew very well <em>where</em> he had been and that the <em>why </em>was much more important to him.</p><p>Draco raised his gaze again and frowned. “I don’t have the faintest idea what you're talking about. Now if you'll excuse me, I have essays to-“</p><p>“<em>Aguamenti!"</em></p><p>When talking didn't help, action had to follow! At least that was Harry's train of thought as he unobtrusively drew his wand and then cast the spell on Draco. Whether this had been a good or bad idea, he could decide later.</p><p>“Bloody hell, Potter!" Draco was quick, really quick. This surely had something to do with the fact that he hadn't been attacked from behind and he could actually see what Harry was doing.</p><p>Harry really expected a lot, but not that Draco would raise his hand <em>and freeze the water in the air to ice</em>. In shook, he looked at the ice first, then at the blond and then at the ice again. “Wandless magic?!”</p><p>The ice crackled noisily on the stone floor, as soon as Draco let his hand sink again. “You’ve caught me there. Now you know my secret and can mind your own business again!”</p><p>Harry's jaw dropped, but he couldn't gather himself before Draco turned around and disappeared back to his friends. That didn't make any sense at all! Why would this be Draco's secret? And why would he be so casual about it if Harry found out? It didn’t explain his bizarre fear of water, nor the nightly trip to the lake. The wizard tried to tell him a cock and bull story, Harry wasn’t able to explain all of this otherwise. Unfortunately, this behaviour did not curb his curiosity at all. If he’d told Ron and Hermione about it, they would probably strangle him with their own bare hands, but he <em>had</em> to find out what was really going on with Draco. Call it old habit or gut feeling, but Harry trusted this feeling without batting an eyelid.</p><p>~</p><p>The darkness of the night lay heavy over Hogwarts, causing a tight feeling in Harry's chest. He really had no idea what he was thinking. This was one of the worst ideas he had had come up with since the beginning of the school year and the year was almost over, so this was saying a lot. Once again Harry looked at the piece of parchment in front of him, Draco was still on the shore of the Great Lake, he hadn't moved an inch for the last quarter of an hour. Harry stepped out into the cool night air and pulled the invisibility cloak tighter around him. It wasn’t cold, but not warm enough to walk around in just a T-shirt. Harry walked at a fast pace along the small path leading to the Great Lake and also to the forbidden forest, but Harry certainly didn't want to go there at this hour.</p><p>Even though the shore of the lake was free of bushes and trees, some of the plants stood a few meters away from it and offered Harry extra protection. The invisibility cloak was useful, but hiding, in addition, couldn’t go astray. Harry was just looking back at the map when he heard a gurgling sound. A gurgle? Yes, there it was again! Harry narrowed his eyes to see better in the dark, that's when he spotted him. Draco.</p><p>He stood not far from him, but not close either, right in front of the water. One more step and he would have gone swimming. Harry frowned. The Slytherin seemed to be speaking. Very quietly and absolutely incomprehensible stuff. Just when Harry was thinking about coming closer in order to be able to listen better, there was this gurgling again. It came from the water – no - it was the water. Or was it? Was that a figure between the gentle waves there? Well, if that was the case, at least Draco wouldn't be talking to himself, which had something soothing about it. But also not really, because a figure really seemed to float between the waves and appeared only remotely human. <em>Wandless magic, my arse!</em></p><p>Harry decided spontaneously to step closer, when Draco rose suddenly and without another word he hurried away, dangerously close to Harry's hiding place. For a moment Harry considered following him, but he could already imagine how Draco's answers to his questions would turn out. So instead, Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off his body and slowly and carefully walked towards the place where Draco had just been standing.</p><p>The lake lay calm and dark in front of him, nothing moved, no gurgling, no strange shapes between the waves, only the light wind gliding gently over the water surface. Harry squatted down and fixated the spot where the figure had been seen a moment ago.</p><p>“Hello? Is anybody there?” Really a glorious question, he was at least as smart as the people from his cousin's horror movies who asked this question sufficiently.</p><p>But there, the gurgling and a head that broke through the waves and turned to him. Harry had to use all his willpower not to cry out because this creature in front of him was really frightening. The upper part of the body was strongly reminiscent of a human being, but the skin was pale, sunken, translucent and grey. The long dark hair fell over the creature's face if you could call this grimace that. The eyes, no more than black holes, and the mouth, as wide as that of a toad, but in no way amusing to look at. The sharp teeth flashed up razor-sharp, allowing a premonition of what they could do.</p><p>The creature stared at Harry, interested but also demanding. Harry cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his guts. “Um, hello.” For heaven's sake, was there a way for him to act any dumber?</p><p>The creature didn't answer but tilted its head a little, which made it seem even eerier. Harry tried it with a weird smile. Then something stirred in the water. The creature actually raised its bony arm and stretched it out in Harry's direction as if it wanted to shake his hand. Harry laughed hysterically for a moment, stared at the grey hand, dark scales could be seen in some places and between the wiry fingers he clearly recognized webs.</p><p>This was his chance of gaining the being's trust and then asking it about Draco. However, he fit into this picture. So Harry smiled a little more confidently now and reached out for the creature's hand to grab it. Only gently and briefly, but amicably, to not leave a false impression. Just as Harry loosened his grip on the squidgy hand again, the creature's broad mouth widened to a grin. So vicious that Harry's smile was instantly wiped from his face.</p><p>Then it took hold. Firmly. Firmer than Harry could have expected from those thin fingers and he screamed. Loud and panicky, even though the end of the scream was swallowed by the water that surged around him. In a furious speed, he was pulled deeper, he swallowed down lung fulls of water and lost his vision as he couldn’t see even the slightest hint in the darkness of the water. He only knew that this would be his end if he didn't start with his counterattack. He tore at his hand by which he was pulled into the depths, reached around him, searching for his wand, but nothing helped. He was unsuccessful and became dizzy. Gasping for breath, he swallowed more water, kicked around, but his struggle only caused him to lose consciousness even faster. Just as Harry accepted his inevitable fate, he felt it. The pressure on his hand, it came loose! A heartbreaking scream rang out, then everything around him turned to black.</p><p>~</p><p>Harry coughed, spat water and at the same time gasped for air, the sweet air that enveloped him again. He opened his eyes, blinked the tears away from the corners of his eyes and thrashing around wildly as if by reflex. But there was no one there, Harry turned his head to the side and realized that he was not alone after all. His gaze fell in disbelief at the blond man, who was up to his shoulders in the water and only had one hand on the rock he must have hoisted Harry onto. Harry blinked faster, straightened up slowly, got his breath back and continued to stare at Draco in disbelief. Something seemed to have changed about him, but Harry was too confused to be able to pin it down to any detail.</p><p>“Clear off!“</p><p>Startled, Harry shrank back, that was Draco's voice, but different. On the one hand, it was dark and pithy, but on the other hand so butter-soft that Harry almost felt comfortable. Then he noticed what had changed about Draco. He was <em>gleaming</em>. As if he was glowing from inside out. And then there were those strange slits on the side of his neck that Harry would almost not have noticed if Draco hadn't turned to the side for a moment to look out frantically at the dark lake.</p><p>“You have to leave now!”</p><p>Harry just couldn't take his eyes off Draco, even though he could only see him up to his shoulders. It was absolutely surreal and either he was having the barmiest nightmare of his life or he had found out Draco's secret. So far he could only guess what exactly this secret contained. Harry’s gaze fell on Draco's hand that was holding on to the rock and he almost jumped up and ran away. It wasn't a human hand, somehow it was, but not really. The hand was webbed and reminded him a bit of the creature's hand, which definitely didn't make him feel any better.</p><p>“It will come back, but it will not be alone. So leave or die!”</p><p>And then the fascinating hand vanished from Harry's field of vision. As if there was nothing wiser, Harry leapt closer to the edge of the rock and looked down into the lake where Draco had just disappeared. The glow actually made sure that he could still catch a glimpse of the blond. As the slender body slid deeper into the darkness, Harry's eyes widened in horror. Instead of legs he clearly recognized a fish fin on the blond man's torso before he lost sight of him in the darkness.</p><p>For half a second Harry stared into the blackness, then jumped up as if stung by an adder and took to his heels like never before. Out of eagerness he almost forgot to pick up his invisibility cloak and wand, but then his path led him straight back to the castle.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Freckled Strawberry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Again many thanks to Larni for helping me!</p><p>And THERE'S ART! I had the opportunity to commission the lovely Aceveria (aceveria-art on Tumblr) and they created the most beautiful piece for a scene in the first chapter!<br/>Go check it out: https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/613795930712457216/as-the-last-year-at-hogwarts-draws-to-a-close<br/>(AO3 likes to mess with me, which is why it's not letting me link it properly. I'm trying my best to fix it, it might work some bloody day^^)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Wait, <em>what</em>?!” Ron stared with eyes wide open, looking about the way Harry felt.</p><p>Harry nodded unpretentiously and stirred around his tea with a spoon. “I told you there was something fishy going on.”</p><p>Hermione opened her mouth as if she wanted to interject that this was not the right moment to triumph, but she held her breath for a moment to reflect on something better. “And you're absolutely sure?”</p><p>“As sure as you can be when you've just seen whatever that was,“ Harry replied, and let his gaze wander across the house tables in the Great Hall. It was breakfast time and the hall was accordingly full, but Draco and his friends were still missing.</p><p>“Couldn’t it be that you just imagined it? Out of shock, because of this strange creature, you were talking about?” Ron wondered, he'd even stopped eating.</p><p>“Then how did Draco save me? I was already really deep underwater before I lost consciousness and then - “ Harry paused, the rest was already known by his friends anyway and Draco's friends were just now entering the Great Hall. Hidden behind Blaise Zabini, he recognized the well-known blond hair.</p><p>Hermione and Ron followed Harry's gaze and now all three of them stared, anything but subtly, at the Slytherin table. Draco settled down between Blaise and Pansy Parkinson and immediately set about eating his breakfast calmly. Ron and Hermione turned back to Harry, who kept his eyes on Draco.</p><p>“He looks perfectly normal. No glow at all,“ Ron noted.</p><p>“He's always looked normal, and I don't feel this is all that new to him. Hermione, have you ever heard of such a case?” Harry asked Hermione, but kept looking at Draco, who poked around listlessly in his scrambled eggs, then suddenly dropped his fork and held his right forearm, with a distorted, painful expression. Harry's heartbeat instantly increased threefold. Was Draco hurt? Had this<em> thing</em> done something to him? Didn't Draco say it would come back and bring help? Then why, by Merlin's beard, did Draco flee back into the <em>water</em>? He should have gone with Harry! But - How? It was tough to walk without legs. But he had legs right now, so it had to work somehow.</p><p>“No, but rest assured that, if necessary, I will read every possible book on sea creatures three times to find out what happened to you,” Hermione interrupted Harry's thoughts. The latter nodded gratefully to her; Draco would not pay any attention to him at breakfast, just like the rest of the day, Harry was soon to find out.</p><p>Harry tried hard not to stare at Draco too much during the day, but he was not successful at all. He was fascinated by him, of course, after all, he had discovered something quite captivating about the Slytherin. The teachers and students around him showed little understanding for his supposedly unfounded staring and so he was admonished three times in Potion class alone that he should please focus more on his work and less on <em>Mr Malfoy</em>. Slughorn was truly merciless when it came to exposing Harry, but the Gryffindor was not to be put off and continued his observations unperturbed.</p><p>Draco looked frighteningly normal as if Harry had only imagined last night, except that the blond man kept grabbing his right forearm, proving that there was a slight change after all. Harry wondered whether he should talk to Draco about it, not about the fishtail, that was perhaps a bit too blatant, but about his welfare. Where the concern for Draco's well-being came from, he couldn't quite pinpoint, but a single thought of last night wiped all the questions out of his mind and made him focus on the fact that he wanted Draco to be safe. He just needed a little confirmation that he was okay, that's all he wanted. For now.</p><p>~</p><p>In the afternoon, Harry accompanied Hermione to the library, where she immediately began her research on sea creatures. Harry sat down at a table, put an essay on top of it alibi-wise, and devoted himself again to his observations of Draco Malfoy, who was conveniently busy with schoolwork just a few tables away. Pansy Parkinson was sitting next to him, but she didn't notice Harry's look and was absorbed in a Transfiguration book.</p><p>Draco had already noticed Harry's glances, even though he carefully avoided them and punished him with cold disregard. Harry didn't mind that, it just meant that he could continue to stare unhindered. Lost in thought, he chewed on his lower lip as he watched Draco once again tense his right hand and drop his quill to press his left hand onto his right forearm. Harry held his breath, that was the opportunity to speak to him, wasn't it? But he didn't dare to move and to make matters worse, Draco looked up and gave Harry a crushing look. Harry hurriedly drew his lips to a wry smile, simply to signal his good intentions, but Draco continued to glare at him furiously. Mission <em>defusing the unpleasant atmosphere </em>was about to start now.</p><p>“Don't tell me you got ‘tennis elbow’?” Oh God, Harry facepalmed himself inwardly.</p><p>“What in three Merlin's names is ‘tennis elbow’, Potter?” replied Draco, the atmosphere did not seem to be defused at all. Pansy looked up in the meantime and at Harry, after all, they had to speak quite loudly to communicate. Not a good time to ask Draco about possible injuries.</p><p>“That-” Harry faltered, he could just lie now and not make it more embarrassing for himself, but instead he made a clearly ambiguous move and explained what he meant when he talked about having ‘tennis elbow’. It definitely wasn't about playing too much tennis.</p><p>Draco's eyes widened in surprise, Pansy pursed her lips in disgust and devoted herself to her book again, as if she wanted to forget what she had seen. At least Draco seemed more confused than annoyed now. That was a start, even if Draco hadn't yet figured out what Harry actually wanted to know.</p><p>“Sore muscles?” Harry asked, gesturing to Draco's right arm and hoping that Draco would finally understand the hint.</p><p>Draco understood, stared at him perplexed for a few seconds, then he seemed to gather himself, rolled his eyes and reached for his quill again. “No, and I would be obliged if you would stop worrying about my ‘tennis activities’. Unless this is some ridiculous attempt to tell me, you'd be interested in helping me out with that.”</p><p>Now it was Harry's turn to open his eyes in surprise, a slight blush covering his cheeks as he tried to withstand Draco's questioning gaze. What an asshole. Now it sounded like Harry was trying to hit on him and <em>that</em> was really embarrassing. But then Harry changed his mind and avoided the look of Draco. In an indefinable way, he had achieved what he had wanted to achieve, the rest shouldn’t matter.</p><p>Harry was pretty sure that Draco and he were the only wizards who chose each other's masturbation activities as a cover-up-story, but it seemed to work out fine. At least now he knew that Draco was reasonably well and he didn't want to talk to Harry about it. Basically, he knew as much as he did before, but he was good at putting lipstick on a pig.</p><p>~</p><p>“I'm just saying, if you keep on being so obvious with your observations, you're gonna start some rumours!” Ron explained factually and dropped onto his bed in the Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory.</p><p>“<em>Oh no</em>, rumours about me, how am I supposed to handle <em>that</em>?” Harry replied ironically and grabbed the parchment that was hidden under his pillow.</p><p>“I’m trying to help you, Harry! Malfoy has made it very clear that he doesn't want to talk about it, you definitely won't be able to<em> stare</em> it out of him!”</p><p>Harry rolled his eyes and ignored his best friend, who got up again and started to get ready for bed. He knew only too well that Draco was avoiding him and would continue to avoid him, but that was certainly no reason to give up. Actually, that was more of a reason to go on. So Harry whispered the magical words and the parchment revealed the view of the Marauder's Map.</p><p>“Please promise me you'll stay in your bed tonight and let the case rest!” it came from Ron, who watched Harry suspiciously.</p><p>But Harry's attention was entirely focused on the map and the small dot that told him where Draco was at that moment “He’s in the Prefects' Bathroom!”</p><p>Harry's gaze fell on Ron, who sceptically returned the look. “Don't even think about it!”</p><p>“But-” Harry started, but was interrupted by Ron.</p><p>“I'm not going to help you spy on a naked Draco Malfoy!”</p><p>Harry jumped up and came to a halt in front of Ron. “First of all, I'm very sure he won't be naked and secondly, you're not really helping me. You‘re just telling me the password!”</p><p>Ron shook his head mechanically. “Absolutely not!”</p><p>Harry stared at Ron for a moment, who effortlessly withstood the gaze, then the black-haired man sighed devotedly. “All right, I'll make sure you get the dorm with Hermione alone in the next few days.”</p><p>Ron blinked in surprise but raised an eyebrow with interest. “Keep talking.”</p><p>“I'll put us all up for a night of your choosing, but you have to tell me the goddamn password!” Ron would never refuse, not when it came to a night with Hermione.</p><p>“Freckled strawberry.”</p><p>Harry grinned broadly and flung his arms around his best friend's neck for half a second “Thank you, you won't regret it!”</p><p>“But you might, if you see him naked,” Ron grumbled and dropped down on his bed again in a grumpy mood. He probably regretted his decision already, but Harry ignored him and grabbed his invisibility cloak. He drew the curtains of his bed, so the other boys wouldn't wonder later where he was if it took longer. It wouldn't be long until even the last of the Gryffindors would go to bed and Ron would certainly not find a decent excuse for Harry in his mood.</p><p>With the invisibility cloak on, Harry set off for the fifth floor, where the Prefects' Bathroom was located. Next to the statue of Boris the Bewildered, a particularly large door formed the entrance to the exclusive bathroom. Once again Harry took a deep breath, then he whispered the password.</p><p>The door opened without any problems and fortunately did not make any creaking sound. Curious, Harry looked around while he locked the door again. The bathroom was as gigantic as he remembered. The huge bathtub, which was more reminiscent of a swimming pool, took up most of the room. On one side there were some toilets, but Harry was not interested in that. He curiously stepped closer to the pool, not too close, but close enough to get a good look at it. The bath had already been filled with water, but it wasn't colourful and full of soap bubbles like Harry's was back then. The water stayed transparent and the foam was missing as well.</p><p>A splatter at the edge of the pool made Harry spin around. And there he was. Harry’s eyes widened and had to press a hand on his mouth to not make a sound. He hadn't been dreaming. No, definitely not. You couldn't even dream about whatever was in front of him. If one only had seen Draco's bare torso, one would already have become suspicious. Harry recognized scattered silvery-blue scales, which were visible from his upper body down, piled up and covering a huge fishtail. Harry needed a moment to collect himself, then he approached unnoticed. This was not the time to be horrified, he had already known what to expect.</p><p>The closer he stepped, the more he saw of Draco, the clear water didn't hide him in the slightest. Draco let himself float on his back, his head lay on the edge of the pool and he had closed his eyes. He looked peaceful. Every now and then he'd move his arms a bit so he wouldn’t drift off the edge of the pool and that's when Harry noticed. There was a dark wound on Draco's right arm that looked very similar to a dog bite. Holy shit, Draco was hurt after all. The wound looked anything but good, maybe even inflamed, but not even a bandage was wrapped around it. What an idiot, he should take that to Madam Pomfrey immediately!</p><p>Harry's gaze wandered back down to the shimmering fishtail. It looked beautiful, sturdy and yet <em>elegant</em>. The part with scales, which reached from the hip, almost to the end, seemed particularly strong, the fish fin itself was translucent, like a veil and seemed almost vulnerable. Harry exhaled with a rattling sound, this was absolute madness and he had no clue how he should continue with his life normally.</p><p>His exhalation had probably been a little louder than planned, because Draco opened his eyes instantly and looked around frantically in the, for him, empty bathroom. Again Harry recognized the gills on Draco's neck, but before he could think of stepping even closer, Draco's eyes fell on him. His gaze did not touch him or fly over him, no, he stared directly at him. Harry stiffened instantly. That was impossible, there was no way he could see him! The invisibility cloak had <em>always</em> worked on him. Draco narrowed his eyes as if trying to see something in the dark, Merlin, he didn't seem to see Harry, but he definitely saw something. Harry held his breath, didn’t dare to move, hoping Draco would think he was imagining things.</p><p>In fact, after a few minutes, which seemed like hours to Harry, the Slytherin detached his gaze from him and turned back into the floating position from before. Harry exhaled in relief, but this time so quietly that Draco didn't notice. Then he turned around and tiptoed out of the bathroom. That had clearly been too close and he had seen enough for now.</p><p>~</p><p>“Your description is very similar to the typical Merman, but I just can't find anything about Mermen who are also wizards and can transform back and forth.”</p><p>It was the next day, Ron, Hermione and Harry had gone to the library after lunch, where Harry had told them in detail about his observations. Hermione leafed through a thick book about magical sea creatures and skimmed the lines as she spoke.</p><p>“Mermen are the male equivalent of mermaids or at least literature says so. There are a lot of different approaches to ancestry and abilities, but most researchers agree on some essential things: They are human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down. Mermaids, as well as mermen, usually come to their fate by a curse and are therefore bound to their fish half and cannot simply turn into a human,” Hermione rattled off as if rehearsed.</p><p>“That would speak against Draco, wouldn't it?” asked Harry, watching his best friend flip through the pages.</p><p>“I know, that’s why I kept reading. Sirens or nymphs are very similar to mermaids but do not fit your descriptions very well. After all, he did not try to kill you, which indicates that he is not a creature of the category <em>“water demon</em>”. The problem is that most researchers assume that there are crossbreeds between the creatures, but these have not yet been documented. Meaning we might be in a grey area,” Hermione continued, slamming the thick tome shut and reaching for the next book.</p><p>“So we have no clue what exactly Malfoy is?” Ron asked in between.</p><p>Hermione nodded and gave Harry an apologetic look. “He'll probably have to tell you that himself if he wants to. But I once read a chapter about the magic of mermen, they can apparently control the ocean. Other magical abilities were not mentioned, however. So probably another dead end.”</p><p>Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his unmanageable hair. “I doubt he'll tell me <em>anything</em> at all.”</p><p>Hermione glanced at Harry for a moment, then shrugged. “If you continue to be so pushy, he will eventually have no choice.”</p><p>Ron laughed and nodded affirmatively. Harry sighed again and rolled his eyes, by now even the last ones had probably noticed that he was getting a bit too concerned with Draco by watching him all the time.</p><p>“Anyway, I think I found out what that creature in the Great Lake was!” Hermione started, returning to the subject. “It seems a lot like a siren, but since you were talking about the hideous figure, I wasn't quite sure. Sirens only show their true face when it is already too late for the victim. But there is a hybrid creature of mermaid, siren and Rusalka, which fits your description much better. Mostly they are simply called waterspirits, it is assumed that although they devote themselves to their primitive needs to eat people, they rarely dare to go ashore.</p><p>They are ancient, but incredibly rare beings who possess magical powers that have not yet been researched completely. In “<em>The Rebellion of the Sea”</em> a war between wizards and waterspirits is mentioned, who until then were still able to enter land. The end of the story was that the waterspirits had their ability to walk on land taken away and they were almost completely exterminated. Because of their magical abilities, they posed too great a threat to the wizards and witches of the time, both for themselves and the non-magical world. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you met a waterspirit!”</p><p>Harry's jaw dropped somewhere between his feet, judging by the look on Ron's face, he seemed no less surprised.</p><p>“You mean he was almost eaten by a waterspirit,” he remarked unhelpfully.</p><p>“That means Draco was messing with an ancient creature, which was about to eat me,” Harry corrected and closed his mouth again.</p><p>Ron snorted bitterly. “Yeah, we got that. He is your <em>glorious </em>saviour!”</p><p>Harry did not react to Ron's commentary, as his eyes fell on a group of Slytherin's who had just entered the library and were chatting merrily. The irrepressible need for something that Harry couldn’t describe was growing in him. All he knew was that it had to do with Malfoy and that it would not disappear anytime soon. Without a thought for consequences, Harry jumped up and went straight for the group that included Draco Malfoy.</p><p>“Malfoy, we need to talk!” he said determinedly, as soon as he stopped in front of the Slytherins, who looked at him in wonder.</p><p>“No thanks, I'll pa-“ but Draco didn't get any further, because Harry grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him out of the library.</p><p>“Save your breath, I’ve got a lot of questions and you'll answer me!”</p><p>Harry's tactics to face the whole situation with confidence worked and Draco stumbled after Harry by surprise until he pushed him into an empty classroom and finally let go. Draco rubbed his wrist and looked at Harry bad-tempered.</p><p>“Spit it out! What happened at the lake?” Harry asked gruffly and crossed his arms in front of his chest.</p><p>“How dare you talk to me like this? I'm <em>done</em> talking to you, Potter!” Draco hissed annoyed and made to walk past Harry to leave the classroom again.</p><p>Harry was smart enough not to let that happen. “You definitely owe me an explanation!”</p><p>Draco stared indignantly at Harry for a moment, then snorted. “As I recall, <em>I </em>saved <em>your</em> life, not the other way around. If anyone here should settle their debt, it's you!”</p><p>A triumphant grin flitted across Harry's face, luring Draco out of his reserve was his speciality. “So you don‘t deny it,” he noted unnecessarily.</p><p>Draco frowned in annoyance. “Kiss my arse, Potter!”</p><p>“You saved my life! Why, if you won't talk to me now?” Harry asked, hoping to extract some kind of information from Draco.</p><p>“Oh, don't worry, I already regret my selfless decision every passing second!” Draco growled, glaring at Harry.</p><p>Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I just want to know what's going-”</p><p>“It's <em>none</em> of your business. I’m not asking you about what you were doing there!” Draco interrupted him, the expression unchanged.</p><p>“I followed you,” Harry freely admitted, perhaps honesty would change Draco's mind. But it definitely didn't look like that. Draco stared at him speechlessly for a few seconds, then took another step towards Harry, who was now pressing his back against the door to cut off Draco's way out.</p><p>“Let me through,” the Slytherin sharply instructed, but Harry did not move, returning the gaze steadfastly. Draco took a step back, kept looking at Harry, then his mouth twisted into a mocking smile. “You try to defy me, but you won't succeed, not <em>today</em>.”</p><p>Even though Harry didn't quite understand what Draco meant by that, he suddenly felt everything inside him insisting on opening the door. Harry gasped alarmed when he really let go of the doorknob he had just gripped. “What-?”</p><p>Draco's grin only widened as Harry struggled with himself as he gradually released the door; to resist made his body hurt all over. As soon as Draco released his stare from Harry, the pain and urge to move disappeared, but before he could react, Draco opened the door and stepped outside. For a moment he remained in the doorway, scrutinizing Harry, then his mocking smile disappeared.</p><p>“Wandless Magic, Potter! That's my secret. Nothing more. Don't you dare tell anyone about anything else!”</p><p>Before Harry could say anything back, the blond had already disappeared around a corner, leaving a completely bewildered Harry behind.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Ariel, The Little Mermaid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Although it would probably have been wiser to leave Draco Malfoy alone after his countless warnings, Harry thought he knew better. Although he became a tiny bit more subtle in his observations and didn't try to talk to Draco about this anymore, for the time being, he definitely didn't stay away. He told Ron and Hermione nothing of the little incident that had happened between him and Draco. That Draco was somehow capable of becoming master of his deeds was frightening enough. So Harry took the rest of the day to think about everything. Draco was not just a simple sea creature, no, he apparently had magical abilities beyond the ordinary.</p><p>Was it really wandless magic? Then Draco may have cast an Imperius on him, but it hadn't felt like an unforgivable curse. It had been different. Harry's mind had been completely clear, his body alone had responded to Draco's will. If Harry had tried harder, he could certainly have resisted, but the pain that had spread in his veins had been too much to resist seriously. Thinking about it, Draco was bloody frightening.</p><p>The following night, Harry demanded immense self-control not to sneak into the fifth-floor Prefects' bathroom again but instead watched Draco spend half the night over the Marauder's Map. It was not until shortly before five o'clock the next morning that he left the bathroom and returned to his Slytherin dormitory. It was only when Harry was certain Draco would not sneak off again that he fell asleep. The fascination with the blond would soon take its toll.</p><p>~</p><p>With a theatrical sigh, Harry settled at the Gryffindor table opposite Ron and Hermione. He was tired. <em>Really</em> tired. In the early morning, he had briefly toyed with the idea to just turn around, go back to sleep and skip the morning classes, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to watch Draco during their Charms lesson.</p><p>“Did you sleep well?” Ron asked cheerfully, the dark rings under Harry's eyes had, of course, caught his attention.</p><p>“Sod off, Weasley!” Harry grumbled and dropped his head on the tabletop in front of him. Perhaps his bed was indeed more attractive than Draco Malfoy.</p><p>“Now you're talking like your little Ariel,” Ron mocked reproachfully.</p><p>Harry frowned and raised his head. “Ariel?”</p><p>“Don’t even mind him, Harry. He’s trying to be funny,” Hermione interfered, giving Ron a reproachful look.</p><p>Ron snorted but grinned smugly in Harry's direction. “I <em>am</em> funny. Hermione told me this morning about the muggle-fairytale <em>Ariel the Little Mermaid</em> and I think that's a fitting new nickname for Malfoy. Ferret is obsolete anyway.”</p><p>Harry raised an eyebrow, a strange feeling came over him to defend Draco from Ron and to rebuke his best friend, but he ignored the feeling. “As long as he doesn't realize that you’re-”</p><p>“Why Ariel, Ron? Wasn't she a redhead? That's more like you Weasleys!” Seamus Finnigan, a half-blood and thus apparently familiar with most Muggle tales, moved closer to them, revealing that he had been listening.</p><p>Ron hurriedly shoved his toast between his teeth and pretended that none of this had anything to do with him. Hermione turned pale and looked in panic at Harry, who was looking daggers at Ron.</p><p> “So? Why do we call Malfoy Ariel?” Seamus unashamedly asked a second time, even though the trio's reactions showed that nobody had an answer ready.</p><p>Harry just opened his mouth to give a half-hearted explanation when he spotted Draco entering the Great Hall with his friends to have a very late breakfast. He fell silent because Seamus noticed the Slytherin group as well and suddenly grinned knowingly.</p><p>“Hey Ariel, already kissed Prince Eric today?” he shouted across the tables as Harry's heart dropped into his gut. <em>Don't you dare mock him, Finnigan! Don't you dare, don't you dare, DON'T YOU DARE</em><em>.</em> Harry had to fight very hard with himself to not give free rein to his anger. Where this instinct to defend Draco came from, he didn't even want to know.</p><p>Some students looked around at Seamus in confusion, including the Slytherins, who didn’t really feel addressed yet. Harry already tore at Seamus' upper arm to tell him to keep his bloody mouth shut, but the Irishman was not to be put off. “Can you tell me why Ron named you after the Little Mermaid, Malfoy? Because my friends here have difficulty explaining it to me!”</p><p>That was it. Harry shed all the colour from his face while at the same time testifying that Draco's eyes were getting bigger and bigger. His fucking death warrant had just been signed. Only because his confounded best friend couldn't keep his mouth shut and Seamus was a complete idiot.</p><p>“Mr Finnigan, if you wish to speak to Mr Malfoy, please do so at an appropriate volume and time!” the headmistress Prof. McGonagall finished the spectacle from the teacher's table before Draco got a chance to answer. Seamus smiled apologetically at his headmistress and then grinned at the trio as if everything was perfectly normal.</p><p>Harry pressed both palms on his forehead, that much stupor had to be processed first, and he really didn't want to see Draco's face right now. Ron and Hermione ignored Seamus, kept looking worriedly at Harry and continued to eat, playing the game as if it were nothing important.</p><p>“Because he looks like a fish and acts like a spoiled princess,” it came out of nowhere by Ron. While Harry had to bite his tongue hard not to shout at Ron that Draco was nothing of the sort and Ron simply had no sense of taste, Seamus nodded contentedly; the reason seemed to be enough for him, even if the explanation for Draco's new nickname was even worse than what Harry would have thought of if he would have gotten to it.</p><p>The rest of the breakfast it was Harry who avoided Draco's looks, he could literally feel the burning hatred on him and was convinced that Draco was already planning his murder. He could only hope that none of the half-blood Slytherins knew exactly who Ariel was, but he dared to doubt that this would be of any use. Seamus had already said more than enough.</p><p>The Gryffindors finished their breakfast and slowly made their way to Charms class. Inwardly Harry swore like a trooper, Seamus didn't come off very well in his thoughts, but that was all irrelevant. He had to make a plan to avoid Draco until he would control his murderous thoughts and that could take a few days knowing the Slytherin. If he was lucky, Draco would keep a low profile in public for fear that his secret would get around <em>even more</em>. Merlin, as so often, Harry wished to be someone else.</p><p>Ron, Hermione and Harry just turned a corner on the 3rd floor of the castle building, when Harry felt the same pain in his veins as the day before, but this time only in his left leg, which caused him to stop immediately. Neither Ron nor Hermione noticed that Harry stood still with a distorted expression and looked around frantically to find the initiator of the pain. He spotted Draco Malfoy in the corridor from which they had just come. He stood casually leaning against a wooden door, which probably led into a broom cupboard, and fixed Harry's leg with his gaze.</p><p>“Um, guys, go ahead. I'll be right there!” Harry hurriedly called to his friends, then he turned around, gave in to the plea of his aching leg and walked towards Draco, who had a smug grin on his lips. “Git!” he grumbled as he entered the broom cupboard past Draco.</p><p>The room was narrow and dusty. The shelves, in which numerous cleaning agents were lined up, looked rotten. Neither Filch nor the house-elves seemed to use this room often. The sparse light that only fell into the chamber from the open door disappeared as soon as Draco closed the wooden door behind him. Being stuck in a dark room with an angry Draco Malfoy didn't sound like a good sentence in any version, so Harry just hoped Draco didn't have cat eyes as well and simply overlooked him in the dark.</p><p>“<em>Lumos!</em>“</p><p>Well, in all fairness Harry could have figured that out himself, but he hadn’t, which was why he was almost scared to death, as soon as the light flared up a meter away from him and revealed the blond man, who promptly folded his arms in front of his chest and pierced him with a hateful look.</p><p>“In my defence-” Harry began, but Draco interrupted him immediately.</p><p>“Spare me your pathetic attempts at explanation, Potter. You don't seem to know anything about discretion,” hissed Draco, the right half of his upper lip twitching.</p><p>Harry raised an eyebrow in appraisal, although Draco seemed really upset, he was still very much alive, which indicated that the Slytherin would not carry out his murder plan. At least not yet. “You can't seriously expect me not to tell anyone if you're not in any way willing to tell me anything about it.”</p><p>Draco's gaze only grew cooler as he pressed his lips tightly together, presumably to prevent himself from hexing Harry into his individual parts here and now. Harry took the opportunity to take a step backwards, bumping into a metal bucket in the shelf behind him, which fell noisily to the floor. Startled, eyes wide open, Harry looked back and forth between the bucket and Draco. The blond rolled his eyes artificially over his scatterbrained state but froze when two students began to speak muffled in front of the wooden door.</p><p>“Did you hear that?”</p><p>“Do you think there's someone in there?”</p><p>“It’s definitely not Filch!”</p><p>“Then who?”</p><p>“What do you think the broom cupboards at Hogwarts are really for?”</p><p>“Snogging?”</p><p>“Law! For snogging. We'll know who was in here because they're going to be late for Charms!”</p><p>Laughter, which slowly faded away in the distance.</p><p>Harry’s jaw dropped open; who the hell went in the broom cupboard for snogging? Wasn't that a little uncultured? However, he certainly knew at least five couples who behaved uncultured even without a broom cupboard; a closed room would be very appropriate for them! This would please the sensitive retina of the pupils of everyone else and protect the younger ones from premature enlightenment.</p><p>“Are you aware that I don't owe you any explanation?” Draco interrupted Harry's thoughts and returned to their original topic.</p><p>“And I don’t owe you loyalty! I could tell the whole school about you and you'd just have to accept that!” Harry replied, the rising anger burning in his veins, even though he tried his best to stay calm. “Or you could just tell me what this -no- what <em>you</em> are, that would save ourselves a lot of drama!”</p><p>Draco looked at Harry in disbelief. He seemed to regard Harry's announcement as a threat, whereas it was only supposed to be a request, wrapped in a threat “You owe me a life,” it came from him, the fingers on his upper arm clenched due to his restrained anger.</p><p>“Just tell me what‘s going-” Harry began, only to be interrupted again by Draco.</p><p>“You are not entitled to this kind of information!”</p><p>“I don't give a shit! First, you behave totally strange, then you talk to a water creature in the middle of the night, which then tries to <em>kill</em> me and to make things worse you can -however- inflict pain on me without a wand! You definitely owe me an explanation, that should make sense even in your pighead,”  Harry accused the Slytherin; all self-control was lost.</p><p>One might have thought for a split second to read something like realization in Draco's eyes, but the cool facade kept the upper hand. “You're wrong, Potter! The only thing I ask of you is to respect my existence and that you keep away from me. I had the expectation that this wasn't too much to ask, apparently I was wrong!”</p><p>Harry snorted at the potshot and also crossed his arms in front of his chest, unconsciously imitating Draco's posture. “You won't talk to me, but maybe this thing from the sea will,” he speculated and, judging by Draco's reaction, hit the bull's eye.</p><p>“You wouldn't dare,” he said haltingly, while his angry expression morphed into one of sheer surprise.</p><p>“You know, frankly I'm pretty desperate!” Harry replied truthfully, but remained steadfast, he certainly wouldn't give up on this.</p><p>Draco sighed, ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, then he shook his head as if he had finally come to a solution. “I don't believe a word you say. Neither would you dare to go to that lake again at night, nor would you tell anyone about me except your beloved friends. Chivalry is your curse and my blessing, Potter!”</p><p>Harry's mouth opened again as he witnessed that Draco opened the door to the corridor and went outside without another word. This pretentious git really thought that one of the Gryffindor traits would save him. He would be half right, Harry had never intended to tell anyone else about his discovery. But Draco had forgotten one important thing: In addition to chivalry, the Gryffindors were also known for their boldness, and Harry was only too happy to live up to this.</p><p>So it was decided. Harry would go to the Great Lake again the following night and with a tad of luck, this time he wouldn't be in mortal danger and instead get some answers to burning questions. It was impossible to resist his curiosity, coupled with the new urgent need to protect Draco anytime and anywhere. Besides, Harry couldn’t come up with a better solution for now.</p><p>~</p><p>Even breaths and quiet snoring were Harry's signs to leap out of his bed, put on his invisibility cloak and a robe over his pyjamas, slip into a pair of shoes and head for the Great Lake. It was late, or rather very early in the morning, in short, it was pure night. Accordingly quiet were the corridors of Hogwarts, which Harry now strode energetically along, the destination being the Hogwarts Grounds.</p><p>After his <em>meeting</em> with Draco, he had indeed, as the Slytherin, been late for Charms, but he had not paid attention to his whispering classmates. He had already been aware that the rumbling in the small broom cupboard had made the rounds. Their tardiness sparked rumours, but they would certainly be more in the direction of murder and manslaughter than flirtations, so it didn't matter to Harry.</p><p>Draco had apparently not been quite as indifferent, after all, he had given all the gawkers a nasty look. That could also be related to his bad mood, which he had definitely got from Harry, but he really couldn't do anything about it. For Harry, silence, in this case, wasn't even worth a Knut, but unfortunately, the blond man had enough of that.</p><p>Cool air struck Harry, much cooler than in the previous summer nights when he stepped out of the Hogwarts entrance hall and followed the path to the Great Lake. The night was clear, the stars shone brightly and the waxing moon provided the necessary light. As soon as Harry was sure he was far enough from Hogwarts, he pulled the invisibility cloak off his shoulder and walked visibly along the rest of the way to the lakeshore. If the waterspirit was already watching him, he didn't want to startle him further by only showing himself at the shore.</p><p>The lake lay dark and smooth in front of Harry, who came to a halt at the same place where he had previously watched Draco and where he himself had almost been killed. Shaking off the memory, Harry gazed over the surface of the water glistening in the moon, but nothing happened. No waterspirit appeared, no gurgling, everything remained calm and gave Harry a moment of peaceful idyll. Harry almost changed his mind, went back to the castle and respected Draco's wish, but changed his mind and he cleared his throat audibly.</p><p>“Hello?”</p><p>Silence, nothing happened.</p><p>“I’d like to talk.”</p><p>Wasn't it a little arrogant to assume that an ancient being understood his language? On the other hand, Draco had spoken to it as well, so it had to be able to understand at least fractions of the English language.</p><p>Just as Harry was about to call something out into the night again, he heard a splash. Frighteningly close, so frighteningly close that Harry reflexively took a step back from the shore. After all, this was not a suicide mission, that he had already gone through.</p><p>Harry's intuition hadn't been wrong, just a short distance away from him in the water a dark shock of hair had appeared, the black eyes that glowed just above the surface of the water watched him tirelessly. A cold shiver rushed down Harry's spine, though he was uncertainly pleased to see the waterspirit again. This was not due to its sympathy, just the fact that it knew more than Harry.</p><p>“I must confess, even I wouldn't have thought that you were that stupid!” A cool voice broke the peaceful silence and made the waterspirit disappear within a few seconds into the depth of the lake. Harry looked disappointedly at the disappearing dark silhouette for a moment, then slowly turned only to see Draco Malfoy casually strolling towards him. Draco was probably the only person who still looked elegant while strolling.</p><p>Harry bit off a comment and eyed the Slytherin instead. He wasn’t wearing pyjamas, but black, slim-fit cloth trousers and a thin black turtleneck sweater. Why Draco was in full gear in the middle of the night, Harry honestly didn't want to know. Nevertheless, Draco's disparaging look at his pyjamas made Harry pull his cape tighter around him.</p><p>“And yet you’re here,” Harry remarked, the unpleasant looks he simply let pass.</p><p>“It seems you’re in desperate need of your King's Guard at all times.” Draco came to a halt right in front of Harry and, to Harry's relief, stopped to eyeball him.</p><p>Harry refrained from mentioning that it was not him who was acting like a spoiled prince who had only recently lost the right to his throne. Granting Draco sovereign power was the last thing Harry intended to do now.</p><p>“Have you changed your mind and deigned to tell me more about-?” Harry faltered and gestured to Draco with his hand.  “-this?”</p><p>Draco frowned thoughtfully, appearing more relaxed than he had in the morning. “If I’d tell you, would you leave me in peace and stop chasing after me like a lovelorn girl?” he then asked slowly. A win across the board, well, halfway. He had to pass the scorn without comment, because if Draco was already thinking about giving in, Harry was only a stone's throw away from finding out the whole truth.</p><p>“That depends on how cryptic you're gonna get. Because I'd like to know everything!” Harry did not let his voice sound too sharp, but not too soft either. He couldn't let it look as if he was going to give in after all.</p><p>Draco sighed, his eyes wandered for a moment to the big lake where he remained until he sighed again and finally gave in. After all, it had only taken half a suicide mission to lure the blond out of his reserve.</p><p>“A long time ago, a very influential pureblood wizarding family was cursed, thanks to a war between wizards and waterspirits that almost completely exterminated them. The aforementioned wizarding family played a major role in the obliteration of the waterspirits and the limitation of their magical abilities. You might imagine that the waterspirits were not particularly well-disposed towards this certain family,” began Draco, who first looked at Harry, but soon turned his gaze to the eel-smooth surface of the lake. Harry hardly dared to breathe, because he did not want to interrupt Draco under any circumstances.</p><p>“Even though the waterspirits were deprived of the ability to walk on land, they still possessed enough magic to cast an eternal curse on the blood of the wizarding family. The curse was intended to ensure that those affected became the enemy of their own relatives. So they became waterspirit-like beings. The curse was to plunge the family into tragedy, which it did at first, but the wizarding society continued to develop, and the war with the waterspirits was increasingly forgotten. Those affected by the curse learned to deal with their fate and thus ended the disruption within the family.” Draco paused. He didn't seem to want to tell anymore.</p><p>“You are one of those affected!” Harry stated bluntly, looking at Draco with fascination.</p><p>The blond sighed, lowered his eyes to his feet, and nodded barely. “I am the first Malfoy with this fate. The cursed blood has been passed down through generations to dozens of pureblood families, including the Blacks.”</p><p>Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. Did that mean Sirius had inherited the cursed blood too? But according to Draco's story, not everyone who carried the cursed blood in their veins was also affected by the curse.</p><p>"Your mother was a Black, wasn't she?” Harry asked, hoping not to offend Draco.</p><p>Draco nodded, lifted his head and looked at Harry earnestly. “Now you know the truth and in the future, you can leave me a-”</p><p>“And how does the curse work? Every time you touch water, you turn into a ‘waterspirit-like being'?” Harry asked, interrupting Draco.</p><p>“Pretty much,” Draco replied succinctly, less than thrilled at having been interrupted.</p><p>“Has it been like this since you were born? Is this a lifetime-thing?” Harry continued to ask unabashedly, now it was too late anyway, so Draco could be completely honest right away.</p><p>Draco's cheeks turned slightly pink as he began to knead his fingers. Harry frowned in confusion; this didn't suit Draco's ever-composed character. “Yeah, I was born with it. And the curse theoretically has no end either,” Draco answered the questions. Those were the expected cryptic hints that Harry couldn't figure out.</p><p>“Theoretically?” Harry asked patiently, still looking at Draco. Something in him made him feel like he was hot on the trail and if he thought correctly, this feeling came from this new need, which Harry still couldn't define.</p><p>A splatter just a few meters from the shore caught their attention.</p><p>
  <em>“Forever or not at all, </em>
  <br/>
  <em>that makes the wizard's soul bawl!</em>
  <em>”</em>
</p><p>The waterspirit had indeed reappeared and apparently had just started talking to them?! Harry stared perplexed at the ugly figure, which looked at them calmly, with an expression of contentment in its grimace.</p><p>“What?” Harry asked as soon as he reassembled and turned to Draco, who looked contemptuously at the emerged waterspirit.</p><p>“Don't worry about it. It's an extremely complex subject and not of concern to you,” Draco hastened to say, continuing to look at the creature angrily.</p><p>“The other night, what were you talking about with that-” Harry hesitated, pointing instead to the waterspirit to avoid a misnomer.</p><p>“<em>Joined us, thirsting for advice,</em><br/><em>Even willing to pay any price.</em><br/><em>But the infallibility of the curse</em><br/><em>Made his ingratitude worse</em>,” said the waterspirit in his deep, rumbling voice, which nevertheless echoed silkily and denied Draco an answer of his own.</p><p>“You dare to speak to us without being asked? You are nothing but a pompous demon!” Draco hissed in the direction of the waterspirit, who howled hyena-like at the word “Demon” and once clapped his hands furiously on the calm water surface. Harry took the precaution of moving a small step closer to Draco to bring a little more space between himself and the waterspirit.</p><p>“What was that advice you needed?” Harry hastily asked before the two parties could murder each other with their glances.</p><p>Draco sighed, gave Harry a quick glance, then continued to stare at the lake. “That doesn't concern you in the slightest b-”</p><p>“<em>The cursed came to us to escape the inescapable,</em><br/><em>Trying to shape</em><em> the unshapable,” </em>the waterspirit interrupted Draco and if the dark rumble had allowed it, one would certainly have taken mockery from the sound of the voice.</p><p>Harry took an audible breath and looked spellbound at Draco, who was clearly struggling with his self-control. “Be gone, demon!” Draco sounded determined and demanding, but the waterspirit didn't move, stayed on the same spot and looked at Draco waiting. It seemed to forebode that the blond could not harm it as long as he was tied to the shore and Draco would not transform again in front of Harry, at least not yet.</p><p>Harry, who had been staring at the waterspirit, looked back at Draco again and immediately took a step back, not caring that he was now closer to the ghostly lake. Draco just stood there, looking at the creature, but something was different. His skin began to shimmer slightly, almost like when he had saved Harry in the form of the mer-creature, but somewhat less intensely. His eyes flashed, the moonlight fell on them, making him seem more threatening than the hideous creature, which was only a few meters away.</p><p>A soft whine of the waterspirit symbolized Draco's victory and it disappeared hastily into the depths of the lake. Before Harry could say anything, Draco grabbed his wrist ironically and dragged him quickly back towards the castle.</p><p>It took Harry half a minute to regain his composure and adjust to Draco's stride rhythm so he wouldn't stumble awkwardly behind him. “Malfoy, what is this curse?” he asked, looking at his own wrist, which slowly began to hurt with Draco's firm grip.</p><p>“Knowing about it would only burden you,” Draco replied scarcely, he sounded rushed, which explained the quickstep. But still, Harry wondered, since when did Draco care whether Harry was troubled or not?</p><p>“If you don't tell me, then I'll have to go ba-,” Harry began, he meant it honestly, didn't want to threaten Draco, just wanted to know what was going on.</p><p>The Slytherin abruptly spun around to him, so that Harry almost ran into him and came to a halt only just in front of him. “Your stubbornness will get you killed!"</p><p>Harry smiled apologetically and crookedly as he hurriedly took a step back to put a reasonable distance between them. “I really don't want to annoy you, but it seems you need help if you want advice from this <em>thing</em>!” he remarked.</p><p>Draco sighed, running his fingers through the blond hair and after what felt like an eternity, let go of Harry's aching wrist. “All right, play along now, Potter! What would you call the shape that I embody in the water?”</p><p>Harry frowned in confusion, but simply complied with the request to play along. “I don't really know. Hermione said there are several names. Mermaids, sirens, nymphs - no wait! I think it was called Merman?" Harry replied, visibly struggling to reproduce all the information correctly.</p><p>Draco sighed, ignoring the fact that Harry seemed to have no knowledge of sea creatures and that he had just mentioned Hermione. “Mermaid it is. Do you notice anything relevant about that word?” he asked further.</p><p>Harry stared at Draco for a few seconds before he shook his head devotedly. He really had no idea and weren’t mermaids the women who were half human half fish? What else did Hermione say? Harry didn't ring a bell.</p><p>“By Merlin, Potter! Focus! Emphasis on <em>maid</em>!" replied Draco, the inner turmoil of the Slytherin even Harry noticed. Nevertheless, Draco's tip-off did not help him.</p><p>“I still don't understand,” he admitted and looked at Draco, who was literally writhing under his gaze.</p><p>“Are you familiar with the term maiden? Originating from the Old English term mægden is often used to describe a virgin.” Draco sounded impatient and a pink shimmer settled on his cheeks, which could be easily recognized even by the sparse moonlight.</p><p>Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Yes, of course, but what does that have to do with-?”</p><p>“I'm a virgin, by Merlin's beard!” Draco interrupted him gruffly, the pink darkened noticeably immediately.</p><p>“Oh. Okay?” Harry still didn't understand what this had to do with Draco's curse, so he just looked really helpless.</p><p>“I'm not telling you this to… Anyway, it's - it's more than that!” Draco faltered, Harry had rarely seen him that upset. He <em>wanted</em> to understand what Draco's lack of sexual experience had to do with all this, but the realization just wouldn't hit him.</p><p>“It's a curse. You are certainly aware that curses never mean anything good. I - I must lose my virginity before my nineteenth birthday, otherwise, I have no choice but to live forever as one of these sea creatures,” Draco explained, providing Harry with the hoped-for light-bulb moment.</p><p>But this was certainly not the eye-opening experience Harry had expected, which is why he widened his eyes and looked at the clearly stressed Draco in horror. “Wait <em>what</em>?”</p><p>Draco heaved a sigh, relieved that Harry had finally understood what the curse contained, but also nervous because he had just revealed something so intimate about himself.</p><p><em>"</em><em>On dawn of your 20th birthyear,</em><br/><em>The decision will be clear. </em><br/><em>Lose your purity and you’ll be free,</em><br/><em>Stay innocent and you’ll follow the cry of the sea,”</em> quoted Draco, which sounded an awful lot like something one of those waterspirits would say.</p><p>“Is that your curse?” Harry asked cautiously, careful not to stir up Draco any further, even though a million emotions were simultaneously throwing a party inside himself to which he was definitely not invited.</p><p>Draco nodded, looked Harry straight in the eye, then shrugged. “Soon it will be June," he said calmly, both were aware of what that meant. They didn't have much time left, Draco's birthday was just around the corner and Harry was pretty sure that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life as half a fish without having a chance to get his legs back.</p><p>“I will help you,” Harry said sure, in this, the chivalry of the Gryffindors triumphed. This was certainly not something he could or would leave the Slytherin alone with. Moreover, the new need in Harry, which he had previously only acknowledged, crystallized into something definable. The need involved helping Draco, even protecting him, and even though Harry couldn't explain where this feeling had come from so suddenly, he quietly accepted it. He would help Draco, he made this promise to him, whether Draco wanted him to or not.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Many thanks to Larni for helping me (she also noted that the end sounds an awful lot like Harry is offering to shag Draco which is... just great XD But HE DID NOT OMG)!</p><p>Ah and I should probably mention that the German word for "mermaid" literally translates to "mervirgin". Which is why Draco thinks that Harry's absolutely stupid for not getting it. "Maid" isn't as obvious but it still works so I just went with it^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Helper-Syndrome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry simply sat out the next day's lessons. He even kept himself from staring at Draco unnecessarily long, which Ron and Hermione seemed to notice. At lunch, Harry finally told them about Draco's curse, but this time he made sure that nobody overheard them, especially Seamus. As expected, they were both shocked, but Hermione immediately offered to go to the library right after the afternoon class to research blood curses, Harry decided to help her with that. Ron said he would get in touch with his brother Bill, after all, the Weasleys were also a pure-blood family, this kind of curse could not have been kept secret forever. If anyone knew more about it, it was probably Bill.</p><p>Harry was truly grateful for the help of his best friends, both of them immediately aware of the gravity of the situation, so Draco's fate received no mocking comments from Ron and no pointed derision from Hermione. The urge to help someone in need outweighed the fact that this someone was Draco Malfoy. Harry could only thank them for that, he had no nerve to discuss whether Draco was worth saving. After all, he felt as if he had to shout out into the world that this was the case and that Harry would help him without contradiction.</p><p>In the late afternoon, Hermione and Harry set out to search the entire library for curse-breaking spells and potions. It was quite a bit of work to pick out all the books on the subject, but at the end of the day, the two of them sat on the floor of the library surrounded by a good two dozen books and went through them at high speed, only to forcefully close the book and put it on the “useless"-stack if they were unsuccessful.</p><p>The further time went by, the more the “useless"-stack piled up and the narrower the stack of still untouched books became. Slowly but surely Harry lost hope, blood curses were clearly not designed to be broken, which only further complicated things.</p><p>Harry noisily closed <em>Potions and the alleviation of the jinx</em> and put the book on the “useless"-stack as well. “Maybe we should start looking in the Forbidden Section," Harry mused, already thinking about returning to the library tonight with his invisibility cloak.</p><p>“I think I got something!" exclaimed Hermione excitedly, disregarding Harry's statement. Harry immediately moved closer to his best friend and took a look at the page of the book she was studying. The first paragraph only summed up how a blood curse came about, but the second part actually dealt with how to break it.</p><p>“<em>Blood curses must be bound exclusively to one (or more) conditions in order to be effective. To break the curse, this condition must either be met or prevented, depending on how the curse is interpreted. If this is not feasible, the curse can be broken by a simulation spell. Meaning, if the condition covers a period of a hundred years, it can be magically simulated by curse breakers so that the curse loses its effect</em>," Harry read aloud.</p><p>“It's an approach!" Hermione said, looking at Harry thoughtfully. The latter returned the look with a relieved smile. It was more than just an approach, it was the answer to the puzzle! The new need to help Draco was fulfilled and it calmed Harry in an astonishingly intense way. Draco would probably find it hard to believe his luck and forgive Harry for his tireless pushiness within a second. And he would take back that he had sharply rebuked him the previous night, saying that he couldn’t possibly need any help from him and that he should quickly get this out of his mind. Yes, Draco would certainly be infinitely grateful to him and would want to show his gratitude in some way. In Harry's stomach area a pleasant feeling spread at the thought of Draco's unrestrained gratitude.</p><p>~</p><p>It was quiet. Night fell peacefully over Hogwarts and made sure that even the last students snuggled into their beds and closed their eyes. Everyone except Harry, who, after looking at the Marauder’s Map, once again slipped over his invisibility cloak and, with clumsy steps and barefoot, made his way to the fifth floor to the luxurious Prefects’ Bathroom. Under his arm, he carried his wand and the book, in which the words of salvation were written. Hermione had given it to Harry in the evening, but as they had been late for dinner, Harry hadn’t seen the Slytherin and ultimately had no opportunity to announce the joyful news.</p><p>“Freckled strawberry," Harry whispered as soon as he stooped at the fourth door of the corridor. Instantly the door opened silently a crack. Harry exhaled with relief, the password didn't seem to change too often.</p><p>Still wearing the invisibility cloak, Harry entered the gigantic bathroom, it felt like a déjà vu, but he had truly experienced this before. Without paying much attention to the interior design, Harry quickly looked for Draco. This one would have been hard to miss, he floated in a similar position as last time in the water, only this time he floated on his stomach on the water surface, face down, with his head resting on his forearms at the edge of the pool.</p><p>The shiny silver-blue fishtail sometimes moved rhythmically, making sure he didn't just sink to the bottom of the pool, but otherwise, it almost looked like Draco was asleep. Harry let his gaze wander over the shiny pale torso of the Slytherin, watching fascinated how the scales extended up to his shoulders, even if only very sporadically and not as compact as on the fishtail.</p><p>Still invisible Harry slowly approached the apparently sleeping Draco, kneeled down barely a meter away from him and looked at him closely for the first time. Although in this position he could only study the blond's back, this was more than Harry could’ve expected. Light scars were scattered across Draco's back and upper arms, Harry suspected knowing where these scars came from but shook off his guilt and instead started to examine Draco's hands. He had webs between his fingers, their colour hardly contrasting with Draco's skin colour, so that their paleness made them almost inconspicuous. Despite the webs, Draco wore a small silver ring on which a small snake was depicted. The fingernails looked almost claw-like, sharp and tapered at the end.</p><p>Harry resisted the urge to touch Draco and instead pulled the invisibility cloak off his body, careful to remain still so as not to frighten Draco. The plan was certainly well-intentioned, but Harry sat on his knees barely a meter away from Draco and now expected him to wake up peacefully and be happy about his visit. Even by Harry's standards, this was a utopian idea.</p><p>“Draco?" Harry tried, changing his sitting position to cross-legged and was careful not to look as if Draco was the most fascinating thing Harry had ever seen. Even though that was definitely the case.</p><p>At first, the blond didn't move, but then his eyelids fluttered and he raised his head in a somewhat disoriented manner. “What the-?" As soon as he saw Harry, he pushed himself off the edge of the pool and started to flee.</p><p>Harry raised an eyebrow unaffectedly, playing that indifference was beginning to be fun. “A pleasure to see you too," Harry added and smiled a little.</p><p>Draco, just realizing that it was only Harry who had pulled him out of his sleep, interrupted his attempt to escape and eyed the intruder disparagingly. “How did you get in here?"</p><p>“You do realize that this is, in fact, not your private bathroom, right?" Harry replied pointedly and meanwhile pulled out the book he had brought with him from under his invisibility cloak to lay it in front of him.</p><p>Draco's eyes fell on it, but he was too far away to see what the title was. “It would be better for you to leave now," said Draco, with that dark yet silky voice that gave Harry goosebumps in an instant, though he would never admit it, of course.</p><p>“Why?" Harry asked unimpressed, opening the thick tome in front of him and leafing through it calmly to find the right page. Besides, the book distracted him from staring at Draco with big eyes.</p><p>Draco snorted, but then swam closer to the edge of the pool and thus towards Harry. When he arrived there, he leaned on the tiles with his elbows. Harry took great pains not to breathe in noisily as the blond was only an arm's length away from him, but instead, the Gryffindor continued to concentrate on leafing through his book. Looking away, he didn't notice the hungry look of the Slytherin, who was trying to control himself with all his might.</p><p>“You might fall for me if you spend enough time with me in this form," Draco replied, and had Harry looked up, he would have seen the smug smile on Draco’s rosy lips, sharp canines peaking out just so.</p><p>“If you don't overestimate your charm there," Harry gave back still indifferent, the page about the blood curse simply wouldn't show itself, so Harry just flipped on.</p><p>Draco cocked his head with arched brows, but then he shrugged and tried to catch a glimpse of the book, which Harry searched constantly. “Care to tell me, what you are doing?"</p><p>Finally, Harry landed on the right page, he lifted his head, grinned triumphantly at Draco and cleared his throat exaggeratedly loud. “I hereby present my plan to your highborn wateriness!" he began pompously and couldn't get out of his satisfied smile. “As you have already mentioned, I owe my life to your highborn wateriness, so consider this debt as settled after this service!”</p><p>Draco rolled his eyes and began to drum impatiently on the tile floor with his long, claw-like fingernails. “Are you able to express yourself like a normal human being, Potter?" he asked, interrupting Harry's enthusiastic talk.</p><p>Harry grinned amusedly, dropped a brief in-depth look over Draco's face, but regretted it immediately. Now he didn't want to look away anymore. The glowing skin, the shining eyes, the scattered scales, the gills on his neck, it was all worth at least two looks. Wrestling with himself, Harry turned his gaze back to the book and concentrated on collecting his thoughts.</p><p>“I did some research in the library and came across a way to break blood curses," Harry then began, careful not to look at Draco again. What a pity, his reaction would surely be amusing to watch. “This book describes that a simulation spell can be used to magically simulate the period of time affected by the curse, which then breaks the curse or makes the curse believe that it has fulfilled its intended purpose.”</p><p>Now Harry looked up, the expression of Draco, the pure gratitude, he didn't want to miss that. It was the reward for the new need, which Harry decided to call “<em>Helper-Syndrome</em>" just then (as it was at least as annoying as an illness) but nothing of the sort was apparent in the blond man's expression. Pure monotony showed up instead, which surprised and confused Harry all along the line. “Merlin, don't get so excited, I don't know how to handle that.”</p><p>Draco just rolled his sparkling eyes at Harry's sarcasm and quickly pulled the book off his lap to have a look inside himself. “Naive of you to assume that not every curse-breaking spell imaginable has already been tried over the past decades. But nice try, you're earning my pure appreciation," he said while skimming the lines himself.</p><p>Harry's enthusiasm sank instantly. Unfortunately, that sounded plausible and he couldn’t explain why he hadn’t thought of it earlier. Now he felt quite stupid, even though he had actually meant well. Damn, that meant only one thing.</p><p>“<em>Your destiny will be the way,</em><br/><em>until even finiteness fades away.</em><br/>That's another part of my curse. That last part, mind you. The simulation spell would work if the waterspirits hadn’t cursed the blood until death. Curse breakers can simulate five years, theoretically even hundreds of years, but not the eternity of a lifetime," explained Draco as he closed the book. Almost apologetically, he looked at Harry, whose disappointment was clearly written on his face.</p><p>“Okay, that’s a real blow,” Harry replied, lowering his eyes to the closed book and thinking sharply about how to make Draco palatable to his alternative. The direct truth would probably be the best solution. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, short and sweet? “All right, let's move on to Plan B then: You need to have sex with someone.”</p><p>Harry barely dared to look at Draco and when he did, he stared at him completely thunderstruck, which in his form almost seemed funny. But Draco didn’t laugh, nor did Harry, who continued to look at him seriously and silently wondered why the Slytherin hadn’t thought of this himself. Ron had never mentioned it, but perhaps abstinence until marriage was common in traditional pure-blood families. But chastity should really have the lowest priority in Draco's situation.</p><p>“That’s… not possible," it finally came from Draco, who seemed to have regained his composure.</p><p>Harry frowned, slipped closer to the edge of the pool without hesitation, pulled his loose pyjama bottoms up to his knee and dangled his legs in the water. “Why not?"</p><p>Draco was right next to him now, eyeballing him disapprovingly and perhaps a little nervously, but at least he didn't swim away. “Because of consequences," replied Draco, in the cryptic manner that kept pestering Harry.</p><p>“Could you <em>please </em>be even <em>more</em> vague?" Harry inquired boldly, he tried to be helpful here after all and was dependent on Draco's cooperation.</p><p>“<em>Forever subjected to the waves, </em><br/><em>Or bound through love to the one that saves</em>,” Draco quoted something that sounded like another part of his curse.</p><p>“And that means?” Harry asked impatiently.</p><p>Draco sighed, resting his head on one hand and looking somewhere past Harry. “This means that I’m bound to love the person who takes my virginity and that this love will be forever and unconditionally. That, or <em>I’m subjected to the waves</em>, which means I'm never going to be able to leave the sea again.”</p><p>Harry slumped down and tipped his body weight slightly forward. This complicated the process considerably. Why hadn't Draco told him about this earlier? “Are there any other lines in this curse I should know about?"</p><p>Draco didn’t answer, but instead pushed himself off the edge of the pool and slid backwards under the water surface in a single movement, Harry looked after him for a moment. Draco Malfoy had always been a strikingly elegant wizard, no matter how ungraceful certain things had been that had happened to him, he had always been able to keep his chin up. Perhaps he owed this ability to his curse. Harry silently wondered how Draco had kept this secret for so long and what his parents were doing to help him.</p><p>A soft splash next to Harry caught his attention. Draco appeared there, grabbed Harry's knee, which he held on to. Harry immediately stiffened, barely noticeable, and thought about leaning back. His face was dangerously close to Draco's, but he chose not to move. “You don't have to help me.” Draco’s voice sounded calm and gentle, in no way arrogant or mocking. He seemed serious.</p><p>Harry's gaze glided over Draco's wet hair, feeling the urge to touch Draco somewhere again, but left it with a sigh. “You don't get it. I'm not trying to help you because I may owe you, but because that's the right thing to do. You help people who are in danger or simply need help. It <em>is</em> that simple.” Besides, the pulling feeling made it completely impossible for him not to help. His self-named <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> struck with full force and didn’t allow him to decide freely against or in favour of it.</p><p>In Draco's shining grey eyes the pure surprise glittered, while his grip on Harry's knee tightened. Apart from the surprise, Harry thought he recognized something else, but he couldn’t quite assign it. Something pleading? Craving? Desiring? Whatever it was, it was a superb match for his need to help Draco and only encouraged him.</p><p>Before Harry could think about it too much, he decided that this was enough for one night. He needed a moment to process all this and Draco's webbed hand on his knee didn't help in the least. So he pulled his legs out of the water, stood up, collected his invisibility cloak and the useless book, turned back to Draco, who watched him as he swam slowly backwards into the middle of the pool. A nod from Harry formed their goodbye, then he hurried back to his dormitory.</p><p>~</p><p>“Does that mean he has to find his true love to stop the curse, or that he only falls in love with her, when he… you know, sleeps with her?” Ron asked, with a face that suggested that he didn't really want to think about Draco's sex life.</p><p>Harry shrugged and dropped his head back against a shelf. It was the early afternoon of the next day. Most of the students used the first day of the weekend to relax or to rework essays. So did the Gryffindor Trio, who had gathered in the library after lunch and discussed the latest information about Draco's case.</p><p>Actually, Harry was generally out of ideas. There seemed to be no way out, none that went past the blond man's deflowering. Harry watched Draco, who was a good distance away from them, writing an essay at a wooden table. He was alone but paid no special attention to Harry or anyone else. He looked concentrated, wrote tirelessly, stopped only to leaf through an opened book next to him and to write down the newly gained information as well.</p><p>Harry let out a soft sigh, unable to explain to himself where this strong fascination with Draco came from. Yes, that curse was exciting and yes, Draco needed his help too, but it was more than that. It was not only chivalry that drove Harry to want to help Draco. This need, this <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, it really spurred him on. Additionally, he suddenly seemed to seize his chance to get to know the Slytherin in a new way. Without hate, without rivalry, without grief, without pain, without dark memories. The past was forgotten, only the now counted, even if the future caused a lot of nervousness.</p><p>“It could be Parkinson," remarked Ron, who was sitting next to his girlfriend, leaning against a bookshelf, pondering and distractedly plucking at Hermione's hair. The latter was absorbed in a Transfiguration book and paid no further attention to them. She had already expressed her sympathy for Harry's situation, so Harry didn’t mind.</p><p>“Or maybe Daphne Greengrass or Tracey Davis, she may be a half-blood, but you can't choose your true love," Ron continued to speculate.</p><p>Harry didn't like the idea that one of them was Draco's true love. He didn't like having to worry about it either, but his darn <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> gave him no choice anyway. “All Slytherin," he noticed, he didn't really mean the snide tone.</p><p>“As if Ariel could fall in love with someone from another house. I'm guessing it is Parkinson; they used to have a thing," Ron thought aloud, let go of Hermione's hair and reached for a parchment roll that he had worked on before.</p><p>“Wasn't that years ago?" Harry asked, still watching Draco. The Slytherin hadn’t mentioned Pansy at all, admittedly he didn’t mention anyone else in front of Harry, so this was neither a bad nor a good sign.</p><p>“Well, the rumours about the two of them are still going strong. If you want, I could ask Seamus to-" At this point, Harry interrupted his best friend by shaking his head vehemently. Seamus didn’t need to know about any of this. He should just stay far away. Very far.</p><p>“Ah, fuck it. I'll just ask him!" Harry determined, stood up and without another word to his friends went straight to the Slytherin, who was still sitting alone at one of the tables, brooding over his essay.</p><p>Draco didn't even look up when Harry dropped onto a chair opposite him with a sigh. Nevertheless, he tensed up a little bit, which Harry could immediately notice from the cramped grip on the quill. “So… Your true love," Harry began but stopped because he felt extremely stupid about all this.</p><p>“I don't believe in fairy tales, Potter. But yes, something like that," replied Draco, but continued to write at the same pace as before and was not to be distracted.</p><p>“Could it be Parkinson?" Harry asked unabashedly, Draco raised his head for a moment and gave Harry a derogatory look before returning to his essay. As it seemed he was working on history of magic, that Draco hadn't fallen asleep about it yet, one could only wonder.</p><p>“No," Draco finally answered Harry's question.</p><p>Harry nodded, breathed out audibly through his mouth and thoughtfully scratched the back of his head. So rumours were worthless, as is so often the case at Hogwarts. “What about Greengrass?"</p><p>Draco dunked the tip of his quill into his ink glass, paused briefly before starting a new sentence in his essay. “No, neither of them.”</p><p>Harry hesitated, remembering vaguely that Daphne had a younger sister, but he couldn't remember her name for the life of him. “Davis?"</p><p>Draco snorted, paused and gave Harry a disapproving look. “Certainly not!”</p><p>Harry sighed again. Now his list had been worked through and he was by no means smarter than before. How did Draco even know it wasn't one of the three or rather four? Did he get to choose? No, not even the most powerful wizard in the history of the world could choose his feelings for certain people, so Draco certainly couldn't either. “How can you be so sure?" he asked, he was truly curious about the explanation.</p><p>Draco paused, seeming to be at odds with himself, but then he exhaled audibly and continued writing. “Because it’s not a girl.”</p><p>“Not a girl," Harry repeated in surprise with a furrowed brow. Did that mean…?</p><p>“Do I need to define the term homosexuality for you, or can you do it on your own?" Draco sounded mocking, but also a bit rushed as if he himself couldn't believe that he had just told Harry about it. He also continued to write, but Harry was very sure that Draco had just written “sosialey asseptabel vorms of konvlict resulotiunc" instead of “socially acceptable forms of conflict resolutions”, which he noticed just at that moment and crossed the line quietly cursing.</p><p>Harry just stared at Draco, barely noticing the slight pink glint on his cheeks. Draco was gay? Well, it didn't exactly surprise Harry, nobody was able to just <em>see</em> that, but how could that be compatible with the Malfoy family concept? If Draco were to marry a man, who would then carry out the Malfoy heir as intended?</p><p>Maybe that was why nobody knew about Draco's sexuality. Perhaps Draco had planned to marry a woman, have a child and continue to live out his true sexuality under the radar. Or maybe he didn't want to live it out at all and would have simply resigned himself to his fate. But this curse showed no mercy in this regard, if it was about true love, then, of course, it had to be a man, not a woman. Oh Merlin and Draco would love him all his life and still have to marry a woman. Or maybe the Malfoys didn't care, as long as their son was not tied to the ocean until his death.</p><p>Depending on whether Draco's love would only come about through the loss of his virginity or the feelings had to be there before that, Draco might even be able to change his… polarity? As macabre as it sounded, but if he slept with a woman, fell in love with her through his curse, wouldn't everything be (quite literally) straightened out?</p><p>But whatever the curse truly meant, Draco didn't seem to want a woman, not in his bed and not as his true love, so Harry would respect that, of course. He could imagine that Draco had thought about this long and hard, as he always did. And he definitely wasn’t the type to make reckless decisions. His urge to survive had already been proven in their sixth year of school, so he had to be really serious about his decision.</p><p>“Then we'll find you a guy," Harry said after his much too long silence. He wanted, no, he <em>had</em> to help Draco, he didn't care about the circumstances. Woman or man, it didn’t matter as long as one of them was willing to get it on with Draco. Otherwise, Harry would probably have to do it himself. Inwardly, Harry quickly erased these thoughts from his brain before he could turn red.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Ticking of the Clock</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sunday turned out to be a terribly long and sluggish day, which in no way offered Harry an answer to his questions. The fact that Draco's birthday was less than two weeks away didn't make things any less stressful. Love, that damned plague; why did every curse have to do with it? Maybe fairytales weren’t as unrealistic as Draco made them out to be.</p><p>It was already evening, Harry lay stretched out lengthwise in his bed, nibbling on an apple and studying the Marauder’s Map, as he did every evening these days. Meanwhile, Ron paced up and down at his bed, put on his pyjamas, collected the school supplies for the next morning and cursed quietly.</p><p>Seamus and Dean had not yet appeared from the Gryffindor common room, while Neville was already asleep. Harry watched his cursing best friend for a moment then he lowered the Map. “Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be with a guy?" he asked, lost in thought. Draco's sexuality preoccupied his thoughts more than he wanted to admit.</p><p>“Merlin, of course not!" it came from Ron, who finally slipped under his blanket and laboriously sought a comfortable position to sleep. As Harry answered nothing and just stared back at the parchment in front of him, Ron sighed surrenderingly. “Have <em>you</em> ever thought about it?"</p><p>Harry gave Ron a quick look and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, yeah. But I don't think it would be too different from being with a girl," Harry pondered aloud.</p><p>Ron grunted amused. “Less female hormones means less drama, mate!" he remarked and pulled his blanket over the tip of his nose.</p><p>“Less drama with Draco Malfoy? I don't think so," Harry replied with a grin, then realized what he had just unintentionally implied and immediately felt the uncomfortable heat burning his cheeks.</p><p>“So… Malfoy, huh?" muttered Ron under his blanket.</p><p>“I- I didn’t mean it like that!” Harry said rushed, trying to sound convincing.</p><p>“Of course not, mate.” Ron’s sarcasm was just too obvious.</p><p>Harry grinded his teeth in annoyance. “Oh, shut<em> up</em>!”</p><p>And much to Harry's surprise Ron indeed let the topic slide. “Why do you want to help him anyway? Goodwill or no goodwill, it's Malfoy you're helping here. His family worked for the man who tried to kill you. You owe him nothing!"</p><p>Harry sighed and closed his eyes in agony for a moment. If he was honest, he didn't exactly know why he wanted to help Draco, but “I don't know” wasn't a particularly good answer. “After he rescued me in the lake, everything changed. On one hand, I became curious, of course, but on the other hand, this new… <em>feeling</em> developed within me.” Harry paused for a moment, but when Ron didn't answer, he continued. “It's this strange need to want to help him and somehow I can't help myself. I don’t even want to fight it!"</p><p>A rumbling sound was heard from Ron's direction. “Is that why you always look like you want to kill Seamus when he makes a joke at Malfoys expense?"</p><p>Harry froze, although he was already lying there still. He had put so much effort into suppressing the need to defend Draco, he didn't like that Ron seemed to have noticed. “Maybe.” But before Ron could answer, Harry changed the subject. He didn't want to talk about his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, it was somehow more embarrassing than he would’ve thought. “Do you have any idea what guys he might be into?" Harry, therefore, asked in a hurry, after all, Ron had already helped him out with girls names the day before in the library.</p><p>Ron moaned, which sounded as if he was whining into his blanket, not exactly happy about the fact that he was supposed to think about that. Draco's sex life was already bad enough for the redhead, but now gay sex… That was a little too much for the average straight Ron, who just wanted to live his life in peace. “Zabini, Nott, Goyle, I don't know," Ron simply listed all the male Slytherins their age.</p><p>“Zabini may be easy on the eyes, but he's as straight as one can get. He chooses his lovers with an arrogance as if he were Adonis himself," Harry mocked, he didn't really have anything against Blaise, he hardly knew him, but his arrogance was certainly not something Draco deserved. Draco needed a rather gentle hand, who didn’t consider the word affection an insult. Someone who showed him that it was okay to let himself go. Blaise and Draco together would be too much arrogance in one place.</p><p>“Nott may be more sociable, but he's not half as handsome as Zabini is. He behaves a bit odd at times, might remind one of Luna if his father wasn't one of Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters. I doubt that Draco should be going back into the company of people with these ideals right now!" Harry continued. Nott wasn’t his father, but the possibility that he had similar ideals was not so far-fetched. Moreover, Harry knew nothing about Nott's sexuality, neither boyfriend nor girlfriend had he, to Harry's knowledge, had.</p><p>“Goyle's a joke. It's like wanting to have sex with a pet or a house-elf!" Harry made it short with the last candidate. This time the list had been processed much faster, all for nothing. None of the three even remotely suited Draco.</p><p>“Honestly, mate, just because you wouldn't like to see them with Malfoy doesn't mean he wouldn't appreciate their company," Ron noted, turning restlessly back and forth in his bed, but still unable to find a comfortable position.</p><p>Harry sighed, put the bitten apple aside and looked again at the squiggly written name of Draco Malfoy on the Map, which showed that Draco was moving to the Prefects' Bathroom on the fifth floor. Slowly, careful not to get caught at curfew.</p><p>Was Ron right? Was he guided by his own aversion to the three Slytherins? Frankly, he didn't even know what type of man Draco was into. Maybe he only liked clever minds and had fallen for Nott. Or he preferred someone with an intoxicating look, then it would be Zabini. But Goyle Harry further excluded, Draco would certainly not go for pure stupor.</p><p>Harry let the Marauder’s Map sink, stared above him into the dark red of his canopy and thought about the fact that he definitely couldn't just ask Draco about his type of man. That was too strange, he might feel uncomfortable as if Harry was trying to flirt with him. Oh, heavens, Harry certainly didn't want that. He generally didn’t want to flirt with anyone, that was just not his area of expertise. No, his thing was being sarcastic, although his repartee had suffered in Draco’s presence lately.</p><p>Besides, it would be very abstruse to flirt with Draco Malfoy, apart from their past, the guy was a (not so) straight ten. Harry fought his way up to a seven on good days, at least by his own estimate. What the excitedly giggling girls in the hallways saw in him was nothing but his heroism, which had largely faded away by now.</p><p>“Are you thinking about whether you’d have a chance with him?" Surprised, Harry looked over to Ron, who looked at his best friend waiting. Apparently, the weasel could read minds now. Great. Just <em>perfect</em>.</p><p>“Why would I?" Harry asked hurriedly, evading the question elegantly.</p><p>Ron sighed and yawned simultaneously as he stretched extensively. “Because I know you, and only you would think of something like that in your situation.” Even though Ron was obviously right, Harry was annoyed that he was so easy to read. “If it makes you feel any better, I'm very sure our little Ariel would love to have a taste of your snitch," Ron added with a chuckle.</p><p>Aghast, Harry made a protest sound and tossed one of his pillows in Ron's direction, which missed him and made the evil bastard laugh even louder. What a git! What did that even mean? <em>Would love to have a taste of your snitch</em>? This didn’t make sense in any world and simply sounded unnecessarily obscene.</p><p>Harry turned to his side so he didn't have to look at Ron anymore and could pretend to be mad at him. Meanwhile, he grabbed the Marauder’s Map again. Draco had arrived at the Prefects’ Bathroom and seemed to be making himself comfortable. A little detour to the fifth floor couldn't hurt Harry.</p><p>~</p><p>Two hours later, Harry, dressed only his invisibility cloak and swimming trunks, crept through the slightly fresh corridors of Hogwarts, which cooled off less and less during the nights. Eventually, the summer heat would catch up with them here. He stopped in front of the door of the Prefects’ Bathroom and took another deep breath. He really made a fuss, Draco wouldn't see him naked, only in swimming shorts. It was nothing special, Ron and his other Quidditch comrades had already seen much more of him.</p><p>Quietly Harry whispered the password and took off his invisibility cloak as soon as he walked through the door, he didn't want to expose himself when he was already standing in the room. So he could blame possible disparaging looks from the Slytherin on his surprising appearance. The grip around the apple he had brought with him became tighter and Harry's breath flattened as soon as he took the last step that would make sure Draco could see him.</p><p>Draco actually seemed to have heard him coming, as he didn't let himself drift peacefully like the last few times, but supported his upper body with his upper arms at the edge of the pool to directly welcome Harry with glances. The bluish fishtail twitched frantically once when their eyes met for the first time.</p><p>“Heyyy," Harry spouted stretched, wanting to slap himself in the face for acting so insecure.</p><p>For a moment, Draco examined him but showed no reaction. ”No all-explanatory books this time?" he asked with a nod at Harry's empty hands, which only carried the invisibility cloak and apple.</p><p>“No, I thought I'd take advantage of the benefits of a pool and swim a lap," Harry explained as he stepped closer to the pool.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sure you thought that," replied Draco, grinning so mockingly that Harry wanted to leave again. Actually, Draco didn't have to believe him, he shouldn’t care what the Slytherin thought of him, but the fact that he seemed to be an open book for everyone, including his former arch-rival, really bothered him.</p><p>“May I remind you again that you don't own this bathroom?" Harry asked with more bite than he had intended. With this, he dropped his invisibility cloak at his feet, placed the bitten apple on top of it and walked towards a recessed staircase leading into the pool. Draco watched him do it, completely ignoring Harry's side blow.</p><p>The water was warm but not soporific, also it was clear and Harry noticed for the first time that it smelled a tiny bit like lavender. But only so little that it would not have been noticed without attention. With a few skilful breaststrokes, he swam towards Draco and held on to the edge of the pool not far from him. In his memory, the pool had not been that deep.</p><p>“Are you here every night?” Harry asked casually, he already knew the answer to the question, but Draco didn't have to take him for a stalker.</p><p>“No, that’s only due to the recent events," replied Draco, turning his gaze away from Harry and resting his chin on the palm of one hand.</p><p>Harry took the opportunity to get a better look at Draco's fish-half, which was rowing rhythmically in the water less than two meters away. Even underwater, Draco's glow could not be overlooked, the scales shimmered even more brightly. Harry once again resisted the urge to reach out a hand for them. Interesting was also the end of the fishtail. Harry had already noticed that it looked finer, the scaling changed to a translucent, silk-like fin, which definitely had to be stronger than it looked.</p><p>“It's not polite to stare, Potter," Draco remarked, his smile resonating in his tone. Harry raised his head; Draco didn't even look at him – How embarrassing.</p><p>“What… What have recent events changed that you keep coming back here?" he asked hurriedly, to get the topic back on track.</p><p>“Well, on one hand, as my birthday approaches, it causes me physical pain if I neglect this form for too long, and on the other hand, <em>this</em> heals faster when I’m in the water.” Draco exposed his right forearm, the dark wound he had from the night of Harry's rescue looked much better, but it healed only slowly. Harry fixed his eyes on it and wondered when the right moment would be to ask Draco what had happened. Maybe never. Draco didn't like to boast about that night, unless it did him some good, like Harry leaving him alone.</p><p>It hurt to see Draco in pain, well, actually it hurt the <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> to know that Draco had suffered pain and that was only because he had saved Harry's life. The fact that Draco found it increasingly difficult to resist his urge to transform made sense, but also triggered a vague feeling in Harry, which was very reminiscent of aversion. Not the reluctance to Draco, no, much more the reluctance to ever leave him alone again, where he had no possibility to help him. <em>What a strange feeling this Helper-Syndrome is,</em> Harry thought quietly to himself.</p><p>“Why are you really here?" Draco asked, looking at Harry.</p><p>Harry dodged the clear eyes that fixated him and chuckled as he turned his back to the edge of the pool so that he now supported himself with his elbows behind him. “Maybe you're right and I’m falling for you after all.”</p><p>Draco laughed softly, but answered nothing, instead placed his head on his arms and peacefully closed his eyelids. Merlin, the wizard was beautiful. Really beautiful. All the shining, sparkling and shimmering certainly helped there, also the fact that he was practically half-naked could contribute to the fact, but even if one only looked at the narrow face, one had to admit that Draco was indeed beautiful. Beautiful in a very traditional way, nevertheless not too traditional. Draco's facial features were sharp, the skin flawless, the body athletic, there would probably be no one who didn't find him <em>somehow</em> attractive. As Harry's heart slowly began to beat faster, his mind made itself felt and stated that Harry was probably going mad and could use a good night's sleep to compensate. His mind was probably right.</p><p>“<em>Bound through love to the one that saves</em>,” Harry began to quote the curse. “Does that mean that you fall in love with him when you… you know. Or does that mean that you have to lose your virginity to the person you already love?” he finished his question.</p><p>Draco didn't open his eyes, but frowned, showing Harry that he was reluctant to speak on the subject. “Yes," he then returned oh so kindly.</p><p>Harry rolled his eyes and put his head back. “I don't want to explain to you how a normal conversation works, but you usually don't answer an ‘<em>or</em>’ question with ‘<em>yes</em>’!”</p><p>Draco snorted quietly; Harry Potter explaining something about simple communication was bound to be ridiculous. “Yes, the curse has a part in both approaches. Certain feelings are apparently presupposed, but the love becomes eternally binding once the act has been fulfilled.”</p><p>Harry instantly sat up in the water and looked at Draco's profile with enthusiasm. “So you must have feelings for someone! Who is it?” he asked, with no sense of tact.</p><p>Draco opened his eyes and lifted his head from his arms. “Don’t you think, that if I knew that, I wouldn't need to ask a waterspirit for advice?"</p><p>Fair enough. That made sense. But how could one have feelings for someone without knowing about them? Was that even possible? A fast-beating heart, shallow breath or sweaty hands were all signs that were hard to miss! On the other hand, Harry was not sure if Draco was the type for the classic physical reactions to love. Perhaps a Malfoy took these feelings differently than the rest of the world.</p><p>“You must have some idea!" Harry thought aloud.</p><p>Draco didn’t answer, preferring to look at the green apple that Harry had brought with him, which from his perspective must look like an untouched apple. “Are you going to eat that?" he asked, after staring for half an eternity and avoiding Harry's question with his silence.</p><p>Harry sighed but shook his head as he gestured in the air that Draco was welcome to take the fruit. Oh wasn’t it frustrating having to work with an uncooperative mer<em>maiden</em> like Draco was? Or <em>wanting</em> to work, that had been Harry's own idea after all. Sometimes Harry seriously wondered what he was thinking with all this, but in the end, it didn't matter. He didn't have enough time to deal with such trivialities. The latter announced his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> and Harry listened to it.</p><p>The Gryffindor watched thoughtlessly as Draco twisted the apple in his hands or rather claws, then he discovered the bitten part and raised a sceptical eyebrow. Merlin, it wasn't poisonous, no reason for Draco to look disparaging. But the Slytherin didn’t seem disgusted. On the contrary, a smug smile flitted over his lips before he held the apple to his mouth and licked with relish over the bitten area.</p><p>Completely stunned, Harry blinked a few times too fast, his jaw dropped before he gathered himself again and swallowed noisily. An unknown tingling sensation ran through his stomach area and gathered in his loins. Before he could say anything, Draco gave him a triumphant look.</p><p>“You taste bitter," he unconcernedly noted.</p><p>Harry's jaw dropped right back down as he gasped in protest. “Bullshit, that’s the apple!” He couldn't quite explain why he felt the need to justify himself, even though Draco was the one who was completely going nuts.</p><p>“No, the apple tastes sour," Draco enlightened him with an expression of complete satisfaction.</p><p>“I don’t taste bitter!"</p><p>“Yes, you do.”</p><p>“No!”</p><p>Draco raised an eyebrow in amusement, but denied himself an answer to the childish back and forth. In Harry's opinion, the blond was absolutely insane, but maybe it was the tiredness that was getting to the both of them. So Harry decided, stuttering a half-hearted explanation, to climb out of the water and make his way back to his dormitory.</p><p>That he possibly made Draco feel that he had scared him off was something he didn't care about. Maybe Draco <em>had</em> scared him off, after all, one doesn't just lick foreign saliva residues from fruits and then insists that it tastes like a flavour! It was lunacy, sheer madness, but in a strangely arousing way.</p><p>~</p><p>Transfiguration class with the Slytherins on a Monday morning. There were better things than that, especially since Harry was no longer just wondering how to break Draco's curse, but why something aroused him that <em>Draco Malfoy</em> did. To be on the safe side, he hadn't told his best friends about last night, it sounded a bit pathetic that he kept sneaking up on Draco. Even though the excuse “I'm helping him with his curse" was actually quite good. It was good because it wasn’t an excuse, it was a fact. He went to him to help him with his curse. That was the <em>only</em> reason.</p><p>“Why is Malfoy gawping at you?" Ron whispered in Harry's direction, which tore him from his thoughts. He raised his head and took a look at the row behind him. Draco had propped his chin into the palm of his hand and seemed clearly bored by the class. As soon as their eyes met, he grinned smugly. That git! He <em>wanted</em> to make it uncomfortable for Harry. The reasons were not yet apparent, but everything indicated that he was simply an arsehole.</p><p>Without averting his gaze, Harry leaned closer to his best friend. “I think he's trying to tease me. He made some ambiguous allusions yesterday.” That was cryptic enough so that he didn’t have to reveal anything specific, but clear enough that Ron wouldn’t ask for details.</p><p>Instead, he coughed as if he had choked his own saliva and stared at Harry in disbelief. “He made <em>what</em> now?”</p><p>Harry was denied the opportunity to answer, as Prof. McGonagall took them apart without further ado and at the same time detucted 5 house points each for their inattention. As if that wasn't already bad enough, she sat him next to Draco. <em>Of course,</em> she did. With Harry's luck, there could be no other option, so he wasn’t even surprised.</p><p>In fairness, it must be mentioned that Harry was not placed right next to Draco. He was only seated next to Neville Longbottom, whose table stood next to Draco's and Gregory Goyles. But still, the two tables stood so close, that they could easily talk without anyone else noticing. Not that Harry wanted to do that. He obviously just wanted to focus on the class.</p><p>Harry tried hard not to pay any further attention to Draco, but it turned out to be rather difficult as he could clearly feel the amused looks the blond gave him. Meanwhile, Neville was eager to take notes, of what exactly Harry wasn’t fully aware of, he hadn’t been listening for half an hour. But who could blame him? The Theory of Transfiguration was almost as boring as History of Magic.</p><p>“Are we ill-humoured today?”</p><p>Oh hell no, the Slytherin couldn't seriously be talking to him right now. Not after he'd just been scolded for talking to another student. Harry gave him a meaningful look that was supposed to signal that he should keep his mouth shut.</p><p>“Since when does the saviour of the wizarding world care about following rules?" Draco muttered, making it sound more suggestive than it should have been.</p><p>That’s when Harry snapped. He didn’t understand why Draco was acting like this and he definitely wasn’t able to handle it. He would even go as far as saying that he somehow preferred Draco to go high-hat on him. Because that didn't confuse him or elicit any strange thoughts about the blond. “Whatever you're trying to achieve with these insinuations, you better tell me now before I forget myself," Harry grumbled, hoping Draco would understand him, even though he looked at his teacher with apparent concentration.</p><p>“I’m not trying to achieve anything," Draco replied quietly. Harry snorted, which caused a warning look from Prof. McGonagall.</p><p>That was simply dragon crap! Of course, the Slytherin behaved differently. To be exact, ever since he had told Harry about his preference for men. Or was it just Harry? Draco and he had always been very straightforward, certain allusions had often been made. Merlin, he'd even chosen <em>wanking</em> as a cover story. To outsiders, it had sounded like they were talking about masturbation, but at the time Harry hadn’t minded. By now, he might not do it again. Wait, was he <em>homophobic</em>? Did it bother him that Draco liked <em>men</em>?</p><p>Harry shook his head over his thoughts and began to draw random patterns on a parchment. It couldn't be that, he wasn't homophobic. Technically, he was not interested at all in the sex life of others, not even in Draco’s. But only technically. The curse practically forced him to think about it. Yes, it had to be that! He just didn't like to think about the whole subject and felt uncomfortable because he had no other choice at the moment.</p><p>“My body is underlaying a curse, Potter. It can hear the ticking of the clock.” Draco spoke softly, almost too softly, but Harry heard it anyway. But hearing it didn’t automatically make it understandable. Draco seemed to realize from Harry's lack of response that he had to explain himself better. “My body begins to <em>proposition</em> itself.”</p><p>Harry's breath faltered. That meant that Draco's behaviour had changed after all! Harry didn’t imagine this undertone, which was definitely reassuring. And also a little nerve-wracking. Harry licked his dry lips, continued to look at McGonagall, whose words he hadn’t been listening to for a long time, and finally breathed out haltingly. “You… proposition yourself… to <em>me</em>?"</p><p>“If you insist on calling it that, then yes. You have to understand, my mer-creature side, which is gaining power with every day, makes me want to respond to primitive instincts. Instincts, like the ones you got to see from the waterspirit.” <em>So you want to eat me</em>, Harry thought in silence, but Draco kept talking. “And then there is the other side in me that is fighting the curse and wants me to break it. It's also getting harder to ignore. It’s not an Imperius, but in my other form, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to resist the desire," Draco explained bluntly as if it were no big deal.</p><p>Harry pinched his lips together and concentrated on not looking at Draco in awe. What kind of desire was he referring to? The desire to proposition himself or the desire to…? No, there was no point in worrying about it. It was strange enough as it was. “And what do you expect me to do when you… proposition yourself to me?" He could hardly ignore it and the constant running away made no sense in the long run.</p><p>Harry didn't need to see Draco to know he was grinning derisively. “Apart from the fact that you shouldn't flatter yourself about it, I'm convinced that you won't return the flirtations… or can’t.”</p><p><em>Excuse you</em>?! Was the pretentious arsehole trying to imply that Harry was a lousy flirt? And what kind of <em>flirtations</em>? Draco's allusions were hardly –</p><p>“I'm not flattering myself; I barely even noticed it!” Harry interrupted his own thoughts and had trouble speaking quietly. That he was lying seemed obvious, but he didn’t want to lose face here and now.</p><p>A rustle beside him indicated Draco leaning a little closer to Harry. The warm breath Harry felt on the side of his neck only confirmed that. “So you didn't notice it, did you? Have you ever thought that it's because I’m trying hard to be reluctant?"</p><p>Harry wished for nothing more than to turn to Draco and look at him, but he held back, looking at his parchment in front of him instead. It frustrated him that only one question was buzzing around in his head, despite all the new information he had gained, and this question was certainly due to his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>. “Is it in any way dangerous for you to hold back? Would it be easier for you not to?"</p><p>Draco sighed softly and Harry's neck began to tingle where Draco's breath met his skin. “How kind of you to care, but I prefer to keep fighting that desire, no matter how easy the other way would be.”</p><p>Harry swallowed hard and a fight broke out inside him between his heart, mind and the <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, all of which tried to force a different reaction on him. Who won was predictable, but Harry took his time with his answer. “I could handle it, you know? You don't have to hold back if it makes you feel bad.”</p><p>Now it was out and Harry could only wait for Draco to decide whether to take Harry's offer seriously or to take it as a joke. But Harry meant it honestly, he didn't care how Draco behaved towards him as long as it didn't make him fight with himself. But on the other hand, it was quite confusing when Draco didn't treat him as usual and since that thing with the apple…Bloody <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>!</p><p>“So it would be perfectly all right with you if I told you that I would like nothing better than to rip your clothes off? How seductive you look in your trunks, but even more seductive without any clothes? How I would love to touch you, <em>all</em> of you?" Draco asked so soundlessly that Harry had trouble following. Perhaps it would have been better not to listen at all, for he flushed, pressed his lips together, as not to gasp shocked, and to make matters worse, the rest of the blood flowed south.</p><p>Fuck, Draco couldn't be serious! He hadn't imagined this desire to be that… intense. Actually, it shouldn't surprise him, after all, it was about Draco losing his virginity. No wonder Draco's body was poised to target anyone who was available to him. Time was already running out, and making a move was the right way to get laid. Oh hell, but why him? Why couldn’t Draco choose someone else? <em>Because he’s not able to resist the desire, especially in his mer-creature form, and I’m the only one who sees him like that</em>, Harry remembered and suppressed a sigh.</p><p>Not answering Draco's question, he seemed to understand what was going on inside the Gryffindor. “I thought so,” he muttered in what was probably the most self-righteous tone one could afford at such a moment. What a blatant git! Saying things like that and yet seriously expecting that he wouldn't put Harry off his-</p><p>“Mr Malfoy, I would be much obliged if you would not distract Mr Potter any further from his lessons. Five points off, for the both of you!" McGonagall interrupted Harry's thoughts. Harry made a decision at the same moment. A decision he would probably soon regret.</p><p>~</p><p>Bloody Malfoy, just because Harry didn't flirt with <em>him</em> didn't mean he wasn't generally capable of it! He was an extremely capable lover if one could put it that way. Certainly! Maybe a little clumsy, but honest and unconditional. Draco and his damn insinuation could fuck right off. What an <em>arse</em>!</p><p>Harry's mind was overflowing with thoughts as he was about to implement his decision from the Transfiguration Class. The idea still didn't give him a good feeling, but he had to do<em> something</em> to turn Draco into a normally functioning human being again. And the quickest way to do that was to break the curse. Finally, his mind was in agreement with his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>.</p><p>So it was no surprise that Harry, as soon as night fell on Hogwarts, grabbed his invisibility cloak and made his way to the Great Lake. Draco wouldn't be much help, he didn't even know for whom he apparently already had feelings, moreover asking for information was like pulling teeth from this guy, which could be really frustrating. Who had been most helpful in this matter was none other than a certain hideous sea creature, who spoke only in, admittedly not very sophisticated, rhymes. If Harry's plan worked, it would help him and all these confusing thoughts about Draco would finally come to an end.</p><p>At the now well-known spot on the lakeshore, Harry stopped, revealing himself by taking off his cloak and was already wondering how best to call for a waterspirit. The night was cooler than usual, clouds were hanging in the sky and obscured the moon to such an extent that the darkness seemed even more ghostly. Top conditions<em> not</em> to be eaten.</p><p>A gurgle attracted Harry's attention. A dark silhouette appeared between the light waves. That had been easier than expected, but as often as he hung around down here at night, the creature probably expected that this would become something more regular. You know, official, coffee and cake, every Wednesday or so.</p><p>Pointed teeth bared, the waterspirit looked at him waiting. He seemed to suspect Draco wasn't around, because it looked much more relaxed than the previous times. Harry cleared his throat and crouched down on the shore to be more on par with the creature. “I need your help!” he enlightened the creature without further ado.</p><p>The waterspirit didn't look surprised at all, just hoisted and then spoke in his rumbling voice.</p><p>
  <em>"You seek salvation for a cursed soul, </em>
  <br/>
  <em>but what are you willing to pay to keep him whole?”</em>
</p><p>That the creature would demand something in return, Harry had already anticipated, so he just nodded busily. “I have gold, if that is not enough for you, I am willing to find something else that is more your taste!”</p><p>The creature laughed darkly and evilly before answering.<br/>“<em>No gold could please me, only pure earthly desire, </em><br/><em>bring me his ring of serpents, which was forged in Dragonfire. </em><br/><em>It shall be mine, for just one night, </em><br/><em>then you shall be freed from your desperate plight.”</em><br/><br/>The ring of serpents. The waterspirit had to talk about Draco's ring, with the little engraved snake. It had already caught Harry's eye, but what the spirit could use this ring for, he couldn't think of. Actually, he could care less, because he had just received the assurance that he would “be freed from his desperate plight”. Nevertheless, his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> wanted to re-insure. “So there is a way out for Draco? And you guarantee to tell me if I bring you the ring for one night?"</p><p>The waterspirit nodded and an evil smile was spreading across the grimace that was supposed to represent its face. Well, it was all Harry had, so he had to accept that that was enough. He was running out of time and he could think later about whether the deal was good or bad. He could start by asking Draco a few things about the ring.</p><p>Since this really sounded like a good plan to Harry, he put the invisibility cloak back on and made his way back to the castle. Straight to the fifth floor. Of course, he couldn't tell Draco about his plan, if this waterspirit wanted the ring so badly, Draco wouldn't just hand it over. The boy just had his priorities mixed up. Sometimes <em>doing</em> was the better choice than thinking. Especially when it came to life and death decisions.</p><p>A little more confidence in Harry's abilities would certainly do Draco good, but in such a short amount of time, one couldn't expect everything to settle between them right away. Trust needed time and they hadn't had enough of that yet. Maybe one day they would be able to trust each other unconditionally. Harry liked the idea somehow.</p><p>The door to the Prefects’ Bathroom opened noiselessly. Harry just hoped Draco was here, he didn't have the Marauder’s Map with him to be sure, but when he heard the sound of the taps opening, it sounded very much like someone was there. Still invisible, Harry peered around a corner into the room curiously, then he froze.</p><p>Draco was there. <em>Everything</em> of Draco was there. Everything from a still <em>very</em> human Draco was there.</p><p>Harry had to press a hand on his mouth to avoid making a surprised sound, and he also turned bright red. He didn't even see much, but enough to fuel his imagination. Draco stood with his back to him, wearing only a thin towel around his hips and he was stretching his tired limbs. The pool was just filling with the water from the taps Harry had already heard.</p><p>Unfortunately, Draco also looked striking as a human. Just as beautiful as he looked in his shiny-glitter form, which caused a strange tingling in Harry's stomach area. Just as he was thinking about subtly escaping the situation, the sound of the water stopped and Draco stepped to the edge of the pool. He wouldn't-? And he did. The thin towel fell to the ground next to Draco's feet and gave Harry a clear view of Draco Malfoy's buttocks.</p><p>The collie of Harry’s face was now inexcusable, and he still couldn’t take his eyes off the well-formed naked skin. Oh, Jesus, that was too much. That was going too far, he couldn't do that! And yet Harry stayed where he was and stared at the pale arse he couldn't have imagined better. Not that he had done that. Not that he even wanted to see this. No, he was just-</p><p>Harry's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by something. By himself, actually. A feeling that was known, but definitely not in this context. Perplexed, Harry glanced down at himself and opened his eyes in horror when his suspicion was confirmed.</p><p>Oh, hell, <em>no</em>! He was Harry Potter and Harry Potter didn't get a hard-on thinking about Draco Malfoy's arse. Absolutely no way! There must be some mistake! But the bump didn't disappear, so Harry just took flight. Mistake or not, Draco certainly did not have to catch him in this state.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Fate of the Sailor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next two days, Harry couldn’t bring himself to talk to Draco or visit him in the Prefects’ Bathroom. The confusion about his own feelings complicated <em>everything</em>. So Harry tried to act normal, worked on his essays and studied in his spare time. He just did everything that would distract him and keep him from thinking about Draco. Of course, he thought about him anyway, it was almost impossible to banish the blond from his thoughts completely.</p><p>Ron and Hermione didn't ask any further questions, they probably assumed blindly that Harry would tell them if anything changed in his knowledge. They were probably right, he had told them almost everything so far, but he didn't say a word about his own feelings. He didn't have to, because there was nothing. Nothing at all.</p><p>On Wednesday evening Harry heard another student talk about Draco's upcoming birthday for the first time. It was a Ravenclaw of their age who speculated about whether a party would be thrown. The experience reminded Harry that he was behaving more than selfishly. Draco's birthday was less than two weeks away and all he thought about was that he couldn't deal with the feelings Draco was causing in him. It was all pretty damn irrelevant, considering the fact that Draco was on the verge of his human demise.</p><p>If these new feelings were to remain so convulsive, then he still had time to think about it after Draco's birthday, now it was important that he stood by him. And disappearing into thin air for two days was certainly not the definition of support. He had been so successful in suppressing his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, the need to hold the blond in his arms, to protect him - which was absolutely <em>ridiculous</em> by the way – he had just ignored it all and now his resistance evaporated. It made sense; reason took sides with the part of him that wanted to help Draco. Harry was a bit ashamed that he hadn't come to this conclusion before, hopefully, Draco would forgive him.</p><p>His original plan to bring Draco's ring to the waterspirit came back to his mind. That was his best and only shot at the moment, so he just had to start all over again, continue his original mission. Ask discreetly about the ring. Yes, he'd manage that. He just had to stop himself from blushing the next time he saw Draco half-naked. He would somehow manage.</p><p>~</p><p>Harry couldn't help but be nervous as he stood invisibly in front of the Prefects’ Bathroom later that evening. But who wouldn’t understand that? The last conversation with Draco was now two days ago, Harry's retreat had probably come out of nowhere from Draco's point of view, maybe he even resented it. Anyway, it was definitely a situation to be nervous about.</p><p>Quietly, Harry gave up the password and the door slipped open as usual, but he stayed in the corridor a full ten seconds longer before pulling himself together. He had watched Draco closely on the Marauder’s Map, he had already been here for a good hour, that was certainly enough time to transform himself and to no longer stand naked on the edge of the pool. Harry remembered to hastily delete this image from his mind, after all, he wanted to avoid unnecessarily hot cheeks.</p><p>Draco was already transformed, he let himself drift in the water and held on to the edge of the pool. He really didn't make much of the fact that he had to be an excellent swimmer. But Harry couldn't blame him. It was late, people were sleeping at this time of night, so Draco was just as tired. Harry wordlessly stripped off his invisibility cloak, today he was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt, which he usually only wore for Quidditch practise or sleeping. It was comfortable, yet Harry felt strange because he couldn’t at all reach the dazzling beauty of Draco. Not that he wanted to, it was just not exactly exhilarating for his self-confidence.</p><p>Draco saw him immediately but, like Harry, spared every word of greeting. He just straightened up a bit at the edge of the pool, watched Harry, who stepped towards him a bit hesitantly and then sat down cross-legged not a meter away. Harry couldn’t read in Draco's eyes whether he was happy about the visit or not, but he was glad that Draco made no comment about the past days.</p><p>“Did you happen to meet your true love in the time I was away?" Harry asked with an uncertain smile on his lips, as an attempt to ease the tense mood a little.</p><p>Draco sighed but didn’t answer. He didn't have to, Harry knew he would deny it and tell him that he still didn't believe in fairytales, that it was a curse, nothing more. Instead, Draco propped his forehead against the palm of his hand. He looked tired. Tired of all this.</p><p>The feeling of guilt, that Harry had simply left Draco alone with all of this, became more apparent again and gave him the need to apologize or at least justify himself. But Draco didn’t question where he had been, so Harry took that as a hint that he didn't want to know and kept quiet. He hadn't come here because he could present Draco with a great plan, he had nothing but a secret plan that Draco was not allowed to know about. Draco must feel terrible, Harry would if he were in his place.</p><p>“Maybe your true love is the ocean after all, you just don't know it yet," speculated Harry, another attempt at a joke that couldn’t have been more inappropriate.</p><p>“If my true love belonged to the ocean, I'd hardly sit in a bathtub, <em>Potter</em>!" Draco growled and gave Harry a scathing look. Harry bit his lower lip to keep himself from making an equally sharp comment. Draco was afraid, he could forgive him for reacting like that. Surely, he didn't need a fight at the moment, perhaps rather the opposite?</p><p>Without thinking further about the consequences of his actions, Harry slid a little closer to Draco, actually more towards his right arm, on whose elbow he was resting on the edge of the pool. Looking closely, he could still easily see the dark wound that was healing eagerly. Without much hesitation, Harry put a hand on Draco's forearm and left it there tentatively.</p><p>Draco didn't move, even though Harry could have sworn his breath was getting shallower, but Harry didn't dare to move either. Affection - Yes, he would have liked that in such a situation, so perhaps Draco would like that as well. It wasn't intrusive, just a friendly gesture to show him that Harry didn't mean any harm and maybe because he still felt bad about the past two days.</p><p>Since Draco didn’t pull his arm back, Harry felt confirmed in his theory and began cautiously, always careful to be able to stop if necessary, to move his fingers on the pale skin. He drew circles, triangles, a parable, everything that shot into his head and brought him closer to Draco's fingers. The feeling was new, but still very familiar, he’d always liked when Ginny gently stroked his forearm and Draco, judging by the rising goosebumps, seemed to like it as well. But the fact that he also closed his eyes with pleasure took it a bit to the extreme. Draco probably couldn't help it; he had already told him about the need to<em> proposition himself</em>. Harry's cheeks became hot at the thought and he was greatly relieved that Draco's eyes remained closed.</p><p>Circling, Harry's fingers made their way towards Draco's wrist and further onto the back of his hand. Harry didn't dare to go any further, he could’ve coped with the webs, but the claw-like fingernails looked as if they could cut Harry's throat with a single movement. A <em>very</em> pleasant visualization, if one was just about to betray Draco.</p><p>“This ring," Harry began as casually as he could. “Does it have any purpose?" Was the question too obvious? Shouldn't he have asked if it was a family heirloom? Why, in Merlin’s name, would it serve any purpose? But Draco didn't raise his head and accuse Harry of treason, instead, he just stayed calm with his eyes closed.</p><p>“My mother told me that the ring holds the curse’s condition. It currently gives me the ability to transform myself into a human, but with my birthday it loses its effect," Draco explained in a purring voice. If that mer-creature voice could sound purring.</p><p>A smile spread on Harry’s lips, had he known earlier that Draco just needed tender loving care to talk, he might have taken advantage of it sooner. “What do your parents say about all of this?" Harry asked as he continued his circles back up Draco's arm.</p><p>Draco sighed and laid his head on his left forearm. “They want me to come home to spend my last days as a human with them.” That was it? Didn’t the Malfoys have any remaining hope that Draco could break the curse after all? At Malfoy Manor, the chance of that was much smaller than here at Hogwarts. Harry understood why Draco hadn’t followed the will of his parents. It was like waiting for one's own death, whose date was predetermined.</p><p>“I assume they tried to break the curse?" Harry noted but made it sound like a question.</p><p>“For almost 19 years and by all available means," Draco confirmed. “After father found out which company I prefer, the fulfilment of the condition of the curse was no longer an option for him. That there’s no other way, he had to learn the hard way.”</p><p>Harry barely dared to breathe while Draco spoke. Narcissa was one thing, but Lucius was a different calibre. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, although he naturally loathed Lucius, for not being able to forget the Malfoy legacy. The life of his child was at stake and the idea that Draco would not marry a woman who would birth him a grandson was seriously more important to Lucius Malfoy than Draco's welfare.</p><p>“For mother, it was all same, she just wanted to save me from my fate. In her last letter, she assured me that father now shares her view. It's fairly late for me to be accepted by my father.” Draco laughed dryly, it sounded more like a dismal gasp.<br/><br/>It hurt to see Draco like that. As if he had given up, which he certainly hadn’t done. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the waterspirit or had told Harry about the curse. Even this conversation proved that he hadn’t given up yet. He could’ve just kept quiet or sent Harry away, but he didn't. But maybe Harry misinterpreted the signs and he had given up. Maybe he didn't care anymore and that was why he was willing to be honest.</p><p>But whatever it was, it caused Harry's heart to contract painfully. Unable to find the right words that would give Draco the comfort he needed, Harry released his fingers from Draco's forearm and stroked his fine, slightly damp hair timidly. Draco wasn't complaining, he wasn't moving at all, so Harry let his fingers run through the silky hair a little more confidently. It felt good, Draco's hair was softer than it looked and that said a lot.</p><p>Was Harry allowed to do this? To give comfort or not, where was the boundary with former school nemesis? Of course, they were older, they had survived a war, such trifles as old arguments had long been forgotten, but Harry was not sure how much Draco still clung to his old ideals. That the Malfoys had somehow managed to turn the corner just before the end of the war had been a miracle, but they had always been out for their own benefit. Dumbledore's side had been victorious, no wonder they had wanted to be part of it towards the end.</p><p>The trials had gone well, that was definitely due to a lot of black gold that had flowed. Narcissa, as well as Draco, would have been acquitted even without the money, Harry had made sure that the Wizengamot knew about their help. Harry's testimony had caused a lot of uproars, but by now few people were interested in what Harry had to do with the Malfoys. Besides, it had really only been the truth, it had not been an act of pity. Draco had never thanked him for it and Harry had never expected a word of gratitude.</p><p>Loud, somewhat too regular breaths tore Harry from his thoughts. He paused, stopped with his strokes, but Draco didn't move, he just lay there quietly. Harry held his breath excitedly. Draco had fallen asleep and this was Harry's opportunity to carry out his secret plan. If he quickly took the ring now, Draco wouldn’t even notice and by the next morning, it would be back where it should be.</p><p><em>Stop thinking, Harry</em>, he admonished himself, something irrational was stopping him. All right, he would do it, just one little thing he wanted to do before. Touching the fishtail would have been too risky, besides, it was underwater and Harry didn't plan to go swimming today, so Harry stretched out his hand and stroked two adjacent scales on Draco's shoulder blade. The scales were smooth but didn't feel slippery in any way, which was not bad at all. Harry let his fingers slide down, traced the scales that appeared sporadically on Draco's back. It was as if Draco's glow only intensified under his touch, leaving a trail where his fingers slid along.</p><p>Fascinated Harry watched the play of lights on Draco's skin, couldn't stop touching him until a soft sigh made him freeze. Draco didn't move, didn't make another sound, probably he had only dreamed and sighed, no reason for Harry to - Oh, for God's sake, <em>not again</em>! Being able to touch bare skin, Draco, and then touching Draco’s bare skin… not a good combination for Harry's confusing feelings. The fact that he apparently liked it was obvious, the sweatpants didn’t save Harry at all.<br/><br/>Not quite as panicky as the first time, Harry rose, put on his invisibility cloak and looked over his shoulder at the sleeping Draco once more. He really was attractive; Harry should stop being ashamed of seeing it like that. It was just a perfectly normal physical reaction, nothing dramatic. If only it had been someone else, then perhaps Harry wouldn’t have kept running away.</p><p>~</p><p>The next few days passed far too quickly, though Harry didn’t withdraw and slowly but surely came to terms with the fact that he was obviously interested in the idea of a naked Draco Malfoy, but again he had no time to worry about it. The worst thing was that Ron and Hermione kept <em>implying </em>stuff, which let Harry to believe that his best friends could read his mind, and if they could, who else was able to do that?</p><p>The lessons kept Harry pretty busy. It was summer, the final exams came closer but for nonsensical learning, Harry had less nerve at the moment than for anything else. Of course, Hermione didn't get this and simply forced Harry to study. Ron was the only one who left him alone with school topics and didn't talk about Draco without being asked, which made him the most pleasant conversation partner Harry had at the time. Except for Draco, of course.</p><p>Since the night Draco had first spoken honestly about himself and his family, Harry went to the Prefects’ Bathroom every night. Most of the time he just talked to Draco for a while about the most common things, a new solution to break the curse was of course not mentioned. Once Harry swam a few laps, but when Draco started to make a race out of it, Harry gave up. That was a home-field advantage for the Little Mermaid, without a trace of fairness.</p><p>Despite the fact that they didn't talk about the curse, Draco didn't seem so bleak anymore. Harry's presence alone seemed to really help him, to have a little hope that out of nowhere they could come up with something useful after all. And that was enough incentive for Harry to give up enough sleep and spend his nights on the fifth floor with Draco. Not that he needed this incentive, he probably would have gone to him even without Draco's approval.</p><p>It wasn't easy, neither for him nor for Draco, but it felt good when they were together. Harry's <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> finally shut up as long as he kept an eye on the Slytherin and if he touched him, accidentally or not, it even disappeared completely. Draco obviously struggled to control himself, neither attacking Harry nor undressing him with his eyes, although in some moments he did allow the latter, which Harry tried to ignore as much as possible. <em>It's a curse, Draco has no personal interest in me, he would look at everyone like that if they were only here</em>, he kept reminding himself.</p><p>The real problem Harry faced, and to which he wasted most of his thoughts, was the ring and his secret plan. Since Draco had fallen asleep that night, there had not been another similar opportunity to get the ring. This made him regret his sudden escape even more. Of course, Harry had also thought about asking Draco for the ring, but if he denied, every other plan would go wrong as well.</p><p>He had to try something else. Something that Hermione would probably have slapped him for if she had known about it. Something that required him to exploit his the-boy-who-lived-status at Slughorn and something that robbed him of a great deal of his dignity. But he did it, saw no better solution. After all, Draco's birthday was only exactly one week away, which caused a certain level of panic among all involved.</p><p>So Harry snuck as usual in the night from Saturday to Sunday to the Prefects’ Bathroom, loaded with a small bottle of supposed tea. It had cost him his Transfiguration essay for Pansy Parkinson to tell him what kind was Draco’s favourite. Peppermint. He could’ve guessed that, but now the essay was already in the possession of the Slytherin. The tea, which fortunately smelled and tasted strong, contained exactly ten drops of a Sleeping Draught that he had gotten from Slughorn. That should keep Draco sleeping till morning. He would have preferred another way than drugging Draco, but he ran out of time for other suggestions.</p><p>Draco greeted him by splashing a few drops of water at him and laughing at Harry's attempts to escape. <em>Charming.</em> Then Harry sat down at the edge of the pool, as usual, let his bare legs dangle in the pool water and casually unpacked the tea. As an alibi, he had also brought an apple with him, he could guess that Draco liked them, even if he really didn't want to think about how Draco had eaten the last apple he had brought along.</p><p>“Peppermint?" Draco asked, pointing to the bottle, scorn resonated in his voice. Great, of course, Parkinson couldn't keep her mouth shut. Why even bother?</p><p>Harry nodded and sighed. “At least pretend to be surprised. She stole an entire essay from me for that information,” he admitted and reaped an honest laugh from the blond man. At least Draco was happy, that's all it took to satisfy Harry.</p><p>“How very considerate of you!" Draco assured him, grinned and made his sharp canines flash. Sometimes, because of all the glamour and shine, Harry forgot that Draco in this form could also be a deadly predator. A predator, which he was about to sedate with a Sleeping Draught. <em>Terrific</em> plan.</p><p>But Draco drank without shyness, Harry surely owed that to the good manners of the Slytherin, after all, gifts were not simply refused, especially if the giver had taken the trouble to get it. However, Draco had no idea <em>how</em> much trouble it had really been. Draco didn't comment on the apple any further, to Harry's luck, but he let a smug grin shine through for a moment. Git.</p><p>While Draco drank and ate, Harry told him about Hermione, who was slowly going mad because of the exams. Draco listened to him as usual, he didn't comment much, but Harry had already resigned himself to that. As long as Draco was silent, he listened, as soon as he spoke himself, he just stopped, then it was like Harry spoke against a wall. As so often Draco held on to Harry's knee, letting his hand move up a bit when the opportunity presented itself and pretended it was nothing special. But even a blind man would have noticed the hunger in his eyes, Harry pretended out of politeness as if he didn't notice it and above all as if it didn't throw him off track.</p><p>After a while Draco offered Harry a sip of tea, he kept the apple to himself, probably to avoid reminding Harry of certain things, but tonight Harry would have preferred the apple. Since Draco wouldn't take no for an answer anyway, Harry drank a tiny little sip. That would be fine, most of it Draco had drunk anyway.</p><p>~</p><p>Voices were the first thing Harry heard, then a very distinct growl, which startled him so much that his head shot up. It took Harry a moment to get his bearings. He was still in the Prefects’ Bathroom and he was lying on the floor, the cold tiles underneath him. His neck ached; however he had slept, it hadn’t been healthy. And not for a minute either. His eyes fell on an empty bottle and the memories shot into his head like lightning. The Sleeping Draught! That stuff seemed strong if it knocked him out like that after just one sip. Harry blinked and straightened up, his limbs aching and his mouth feeling dry. Disgusting stuff, he didn't feel the need to relive this anytime soon.</p><p>Bright laughter reminded Harry of why he had woken up in the first place. Hurriedly he looked around, felt for his glasses, which fortunately were right next to him, and put them on his nose. The picture that now presented itself to him would have been laughable if it hadn’t been so crazy. Draco was still in his mer-creature form, clutching his hands to the edge of the pool a few meters from Harry and growling. Not just like that, he growled at two people who slowly but surely approached him from the bathroom entrance. Harry’s jaw almost dropped when he realized who exactly that was.</p><p>Ron looked as if he had a Veela-Hermione in front of him as he continued to walk towards Draco with reddened cheeks and widened eyes. Hermione, who had the exact same expression next to him, did the same. Neither of them paid any attention to Harry, but Draco noticed with a quick glance that Harry was awake and well. With a single movement, he rolled Harry's wand, which was closer to him than to Harry himself, towards him, but continued to look at the two Gryffindors, who obviously had no intention of stopping.</p><p>Draco looked <em>frightening</em>, with bared teeth and dangerously flashing eyes, but Harry's best friends were only one thing: Charmed. As if Draco was the most desirable thing they had ever seen. To make matters worse, they talked at the same time, praising their merits and trying to touch him. Draco did the only smart thing and slowly retreated; his intimidation obviously didn't help.</p><p>Harry hurriedly grabbed his wand, straightened up and stumbled, slightly drowsy, towards his two best friends who were already ready to get into the pool. The need to throw himself in front of Draco and to hex his friends he pushed back. Neither of them reacted when Harry tried to talk to them, so he unceremoniously put a levicorpus on them and pulled them out of the bathroom by their collars, where they came to their senses as soon as they were back on their feet.</p><p>Harry hardly noticed the apologetic ranting of Hermione; he was still a bit confused due to the aftermath of the Sleeping Draught. From Ron's stuttering, he understood at least that he’d been away all night and that the two of them had been worried. The Marauder’s Map had then revealed his location and they had come to check on him. The rest was history.</p><p>Harry sent them to the Gryffindor common room. He assured them he would join them, he just wanted to check on Draco again. Even though the Sleeping Draught clearly took its toll, he was still quick-witted enough to know that that was the right thing to do. Luckily, Ron and Hermione did as they were told.</p><p>Blinking, careful not to fall asleep standing up, Harry returned to the bathroom. Draco was now standing on two legs next to the pool, just closing his trousers and then reaching for a T-shirt to put on. For half a second, Harry allowed himself to look at the non-glowing Draco. Merlin, he was ravishingly beautiful.</p><p>Draco noticed Harry, seemed somehow rushed and ran his fingers through the now dry hair. At least he was clothed, hopefully, there wouldn’t be another <em>mistake</em>. When neither of them said anything, Draco grabbed his wand and walked over to Harry to leave the bathroom past him. Before he was gone, Harry held him by the wrist.</p><p>“What just happened there?" he asked because he couldn't think of anything better to say. He didn't let go of Draco's wrist.</p><p>Draco now looked even more stressed and tried to free his wrist from the grip, Harry was smart enough not to let that happen. “Let go of me!” he demanded, Harry knew that Draco had the power to make him do it, so he loosened his grip just a little. To free himself, Draco pulled his hand out of Harry's grip, which was loose, but not <em>that</em> loose. Without another word, Draco stormed away and Harry stared incredulously into his hand. It had really worked.</p><p>In his fingers lay a shiny silver ring on which a snake was depicted.</p><p>~</p><p>“I think, I have to vomit.”</p><p>“Don't be silly, Ron. It was obviously a spell that made us do it!”</p><p>“I don't care, I still feel sick.”</p><p>Harry didn't really listen to his two best friends anymore, instead, he ignored his lunch in front of him and stared at the Slytherin table where Draco was eating his lunch in slow motion and looked as if he'd rather be dead.</p><p>“Harry, tell Ron it was a spell!” Hermione called on Harry, who took his eyes off Draco and looked confused at Hermione. “Oh, forget it.”</p><p>In the common room, the discussion had started, Ron was freaking out because of what happened. Hermione, of course, had immediately begun to formulate theories as to why the two had reacted in such a way to Draco, the only logical one being a spell. But because Draco hadn't commented on it and avoided Harry by not leaving the Slytherin common room (cheers to the Marauder’s Map), they couldn't be sure.</p><p>“Then why wasn't Harry under the spell? If it, as you say, could’ve happened to anyone?” Ron had a point, so far Hermione hadn't come up with a good answer for that, so she kept eating her lunch. There was no point in worrying about it, as long as Draco was being stubborn, they wouldn't know anything about it anyway.</p><p>Harry sighed, dropped his fork and looked back at the blond Slytherin. Had Draco noticed that there had been a Sleeping Draught in the tea and was that why he was behaving strangely? Or was it because of Hermione and Ron? If he remembered correctly, Draco had never been seen in his mer-creature form before, apart from his parents, certain healers and Harry. Perhaps the reaction overwhelmed him, after all, it had been very <em>interesting</em>. Surprisingly, Draco didn't seem to notice that his ring was missing and with a little luck, it would stay like that. Otherwise, Harry would have one more problem and he could really do without that.</p><p>“By the way, Bill answered! Apparently, he's been able to find something about the curse. The letter ended up at the Burrow, don't ask me why everyone always uses the most incompetent owls, but the letter should be here soon,” said Ron, who apparently wanted to change the subject. Something was stirring in Harry's stomach area. That sounded like another chance for a way out! And at the moment it was necessary to take every opportunity! Harry aimed to tell Draco about it, maybe it’d make him feel better.</p><p>~</p><p>Nervously Harry paced around his bed. It was time. The curfew had just begun; Seamus, Dean, Neville and Ron were still in the common room but would soon be coming into the dormitory to get ready for bed. It was time to go, it was time to finally learn how to break the curse. Harry took one last look at the silver ring in his hand, he sincerely hoped he was doing the right thing. Draco was already on his way to the Prefects’ Bathroom, if Harry failed or the waterspirit had lied, Draco would not have the ability to transform back into a human being.</p><p>With quick steps, hidden under the invisibility cloak, Harry hurried through the Gryffindor common room, out into the corridors and towards the Grounds. Six days, then it was Draco's birthday. Six days, then he'd just lose him. To the bloody <em>ocean</em>. The fact that Draco wasn't terrified as hell was a real feat. But maybe Draco was just good at hiding it, maybe he cried himself to sleep every night, but nobody knew about it.</p><p>Harry's steps became faster as if automatically, echoed loudly off the stone walls, some paintings looked around in surprise, but no one showed themselves to them. If a teacher had been out, he would have heard Harry coming directly, but that didn't matter to him at the moment. He was not known for his brilliant ideas, so far they had all gone wrong. His first flop idea had almost cost him his life. To make it even better, here he was returning to the monster that had almost killed him.</p><p>The Sleeping Draught had also been a stupid idea, it had apparently had little effect on Draco, considering how agile he had behaved the next day. Besides, Harry hadn’t gotten the opportunity to steal the ring unobtrusively. He had the ring, but that was only due to his unrestrained luck. It was a mystery in itself that Draco hadn’t noticed.</p><p>The moon was full in the sky, the night was clear, actually romantic if it weren't for the fact that Harry wouldn’t meet the person of his dreams but a real sea monster. But the deal was sealed and Harry accepted the possibility to get eaten as long as he could help Draco. He knew, he owed this to his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, but it was also a deplorable way of finding out that he fancied someone. The typical <em>I-simply- enjoy-spending-time-with-you</em> was probably no longer enough for Harry to take his feelings for certain other parties seriously.</p><p>“I'm here and I have the ring!" Harry started before he had even reached the lakeshore while pulling the invisibility cloak from his body. He didn't want to bother with pleasantries now. He heard the splashing immediately, just as he recognized the perfidiously grinning monster immediately between the gentle waves of the big lake. Instantly one of the bony hands reached out to Harry, no, to the ring.</p><p>“Promise me that you’ll return the ring to him at dawn and not use the power to harm anyone," demanded Harry. He didn't know how much ancient waterspirits bet on promises, but it was worth a try.</p><p>“<em>So be it</em>," replied the creature, not speaking a rhyme for the first time.</p><p>A last sigh escaped Harry's lips, then he dropped the ring into the outstretched hand of the waterspirit. A rejoicing shrill cry rang out, then the creature submerged and disappeared before Harry's eyes. The wizard blinked a few times in confusion, then a light appeared in the depths of the lake, which raced towards him. Harry jumped aside just in time when someone already climbed out of the lake.</p><p>The young woman was beautiful, seemed more like an angel than a human being and reminded him distantly of Draco, in his mer-creature form. Actually only because she shone just as brightly, if not brighter, and radiated pure elegance. The silver ring on her finger was immediately recognized by Harry, who took great pains not to stare, the lady was not wearing any clothes. Could it be? Was she the waterspirit? How was that even possible?</p><p><em>“As beauty faded, </em><br/><em>Earthly pleasure jaded. </em><br/><em>But this freedom for one night, </em><br/><em>Will satisfy the everlasting appetite.”</em> The woman's voice was as bright as a bell, but something resonated in it that made Harry realize that she was indeed the waterspirit. Harry kept looking past her, wondering if he should offer her his T-shirt because he certainly couldn't concentrate on her words. The situation was just too unpleasant.</p><p>“Yes, well, um, about Draco... You promised me the way out!” Harry recalled as he flushed.</p><p>
  <em>“His soul is lost, </em>
  <br/>
  <em>That’s the cost, </em>
  <br/>
  <em>For lying to you.</em>
  <br/>
  <em>He knows the One, it’s not to undo.”</em>
</p><p>The being spoke slowly, but Harry didn’t understand. Draco had lied to him? But why? And what kind of cost? It was all a little too cryptic for Harry. “What do you mean by that?" he asked, the being laughed bright at him before answering.</p><p>
  <em>“Listen to the curse of his blood</em>
  <br/>
  <em>that stains his veins with mud:</em>
</p><p><em>You will charm them, towards you they’ll gravitate</em><br/><em>but your powers will fade,</em><br/><em>with the one, your saviour,</em><br/>the one that escapes the fate of the sailor. <br/><em>On dawn of your 20th birthyear,</em><br/><em>The decision will be clear. </em><br/><em>Lose your purity and you’ll be free,</em><br/><em>Stay innocent and you’ll follow the cry of the sea.</em><br/><em>Forever subjected to the waves, </em><br/><em>Or bound through love to the one that saves.</em><br/><em>Your destiny will be the way,</em><br/><em>until even finiteness fades away.”</em></p><p>Harry's jaw fell open, but no sound came out. The young woman disappeared, but he hardly noticed, he looked past her anyway. That was the answer to it all? Another part of Draco's curse that he’d kept hidden? He already knew most of the curse, but the first lines were unknown to him.</p><p>Slowly Harry turned on his heel and walked back towards the castle. That was not the answer to it all, that only complicated it. All right, there was no one here who could play Harry's translator, so he had to figure it out by himself. The curse said Draco would be able to <em>charm them</em>, which reminded him strongly of the incident in the morning. Ron and Hermione had fallen for Draco within a second. Was that what the line meant? Did that simply mean that all those who saw Draco in his mer-creature form would be charmed by him and under his spell? Seemed like it, so he kept going.</p><p>His powers would fade… what powers? The power to charm others? Or the power to force people to move. Harry already had his theory about how Draco did it. After all, he was able to control water on a small scale without a wand, including the water in a human body. So when Draco commanded the water in Harry's left leg to come in his direction and Harry didn't comply with that request, it hurt. The perfect way to get Harry to come. Yes, Harry was proud of that theory, but it was yet to be confirmed by Draco.</p><p>In this case, however, his powers had to relate to his charm, that made more sense in the context of the curse. Harry gave himself a pat on the back internally for his outstanding ability to combine. Perhaps he should call himself Sherlock Holmes. Although, he had not yet finished his decoding work.</p><p>In summary, Draco was capable of turning everyone around him into mindless zombies who were pining for him, but his powers faded with… his saviour? This had to be the one to whom he had to lose his virginity to in order to break the curse. Yes, that had to be it.</p><p>Harry stopped abruptly. He stood on the fifth floor in front of the Prefects’ Bathroom and while he was taking off his cloak of invisibility, it finally hit him. Ron and Hermione had been charmed by Draco, but he hadn't. Yes, Draco had fascinated him in a bizarre way, but he had never even begun to react like his best friends when he had seen Draco in his mer-creature form.</p><p><em>“You might fall for me if you spend enough time with me in this form,”</em> Draco had even warned him; this had been their first official meeting in the bathroom and Harry still remembered exactly that he had assumed Draco was joking. But that hadn't been a joke, Draco had of course known the first lines of his curse and had been taken aback by Harry's lack of reaction. Why he had left it at a shrug, Harry didn’t know. Perhaps he had never met anyone outside the healing context except Harry, and he didn’t know how extreme his mer-creature charm was to others. After this morning, though - no wonder Draco was so upset. He had now also realized it. Harry was his<em> saviour</em>, the one that escaped the fate of the <em>fucking</em> sailor.</p><p>Harry felt dizzy, wishing his ignorance back as he staggered backwards and slammed against the cool wall. His head hurt where it had made acquaintance with the stone, but Harry didn't care. What, <em>by Merlin</em>, was he supposed to do now? Was Draco expecting anything from him? More importantly, how did Draco <em>feel</em> about Harry being his saviour? Theoretically, he had known it since the morning, but he hadn’t exchanged a word with Harry. Well, that was understandable, it certainly was overstraining information.</p><p>In Harry's stomach area these new feelings for Draco were spreading again, which Harry had switched off more or less successfully. Oh <em>hell</em>, that was a disaster! He had to talk to him and he had to be alone and he had to ask Hermione for advice and he had to read Bill's letter to see if there was another way out. He had to do so much, but he just stood there, staring, with a heavy heart, at the wooden door, which would simply open with two little words.</p><p>With a little too much momentum, Harry pushed himself off the wall he had just leaned against and stumbled towards the door as he spoke the password. <em>Stop thinking, just do</em>. As expected, the door jumped open, Harry almost fell when he stumbled through it. He couldn't embarrass himself any more in front of Draco anyway, so it didn't matter. His heart was pounding hard against his chest, just one more small step, then-</p><p>With a single glance at Draco, Harry's thoughts, his worries, were gone. <em>Draco…</em> All he could see was him. <em>Soft hair…</em> Every sense of Harry was fixated on him. <em>Grey eyes…</em> Without thinking about it, Harry rushed towards him, not noticing the blond’s surprise. <em>Long eyelashes….</em></p><p>Harry just climbed into the pool with his clothes on. <em>Glowing skin…</em> He climbed along the edge of the pool with little elegance to get to Draco, who looked at him with complete amazement. <em>Silver-blue scales… </em>Draco seemed to notice that something was oddly off because he attempted to flee. <em>Athletic chest… Bare chest...</em></p><p>With a single grip on Draco's neck, Harry made sure that Draco was forced to stay. <em>Delicately curved lips...</em> The last thing Harry saw was Draco opening his eyes in horror, then he pressed his lips on the blond’s.</p><p><em>Soft lips… Rosy lips… Pale skin… Soft skin... Sharp teeth… Wet tongue... Flashing eyes… Glowing scales… Blond hair… Silky hair…</em> <em>Harry's hands in Draco's hair, Harry's fingers on Draco's cheek, Harry's breath on Draco's skin, Harry's lips on Draco's lips…</em> Wait <em>what</em>?!</p><p>As if someone had slapped him, Harry was thrown back into reality, in which he was pressing his lips longingly onto Draco's. And to make matters worse, he even returned the kiss, though he probably did it rather forced, Harry's grip on Draco was iron.</p><p>Realizing what he was doing, Harry took a step back, as far as was possible in the water. He missed the feeling on his lips instantly, but the horror prevailed. Draco looked no less shocked, moving his lips as if he wanted to say something, but no sound left his mouth. <em>Soft lip</em>- NO! Harry shook his head so as not to be carried away again by the intoxicating facts. He had lost control, but how was that even possible?</p><p>“I-," Harry began, unable to form a decent sentence<em>. I was under your spell, I'm sorry, I actually just wanted to talk</em>, it might have been a little late for that. And there was still this irrepressible need to kiss Draco again, which he could hardly suppress. How much of it was the charm and how much of it was himself, he left mentally uncommented.</p><p>Draco said nothing, just looked at Harry as if he could say something that would reverse all this, but Harry did what he had done too often lately. He took flight. He noticed that he had already become tighter in his jeans when he laboriously pulled himself out of the water. Whether Draco noticed that, he didn't care at that moment. He grabbed the invisibility cloak, turned around again with a hard beating heart and looked at Draco.</p><p>“I… need to think.” At least something, albeit not very eloquent. With a heavy heart, Harry turned around and disappeared. Thinking would certainly be a good start.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A Battle Plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>THERE'S EVEN MORE ART GUYS! The second commission piece is from Chapter 4, can be found on Tumblr and is again drawn by the talented aceveria-art! (The link: https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/615987123321012224/second-commission-piece-for-the-curse-of-the ; honestly AO3 why do you hate me, I just wanna link stuff properly...)</p><p>Ah and I still can't thank Larni enough for helping me... I'm sorry that you're forced to read Drarry and... Drarry smut lmao...  (she def likes it, she's just not ready to admit it yet)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You gotta get up, Harry!" As he spoke, Ron pulled on Harry's blanket, which Harry only gripped tighter and pulled over his head. It wasn't supposed to be morning already, it wasn't supposed to be real, why the hell hadn't he dreamt that?</p><p>“I can't! I want to die! Can you kill me, Ron?" Harry begged, hiding under his blanket. It was already very late, the classes would start soon, hence why their dormitory was quiet. Everyone else was already in the Great Hall or on the way there.</p><p>“Do I want to know where your sudden death wish came from?" asked Ron, who gave up pulling at Harry's blanket and settled down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. Inwardly, he prepared to skip breakfast, with a little luck, Hermione would be able to secure him something.</p><p>“Something's happened," Harry admitted sheepishly. His head hurt, he had been lying awake half the night after the incident and had been racking his brain over it.</p><p>“You don’t fucking say.” Ron could be really frustrating when he wanted to be.</p><p>“So, it could be that, theoretically, quite possibly, in a purely hypothetical way, I kissed Draco Malfoy last night.” Harry ducked mentally before he could see Ron's reaction, but when nothing happened, he peeked a little out from under his blanket. Ron was still sitting at the edge of his bed, nodding mechanically while apparently processing what he just heard.</p><p>“You kissed Malfoy, you kissed… <em>Malfoy</em>," he noted and stared at Harry aghast.</p><p>“Yes, and the best part is that the kiss isn’t the worst part of the situation," mumbled Harry. He would have loved to crawl back under the blanket. Why couldn't the world just stand still so he could sort out his feelings?</p><p>“I'm not sure there's anything worse than kissing Malfoy," remarked Ron, he was all green around the nose. “No offence," he added.</p><p>Harry groaned desperately and pulled his blanket back over his head. “It's too complicated to explain anyway. The point is, I really need to lay low, I wouldn't survive if I ran into him this morning.”</p><p>Ron snorted, pulled the blanket again and this time even managed to free it from Harry's grip. “You will get up and face him like a true Gryffindor! This is not a case of tailing off, Harry Potter stands by his actions, so let's go! And then you need to tell Hermione and me why, why and bloody why. <em>Don't</em> argue!"</p><p>Where Ron had learnt this commanding tone, Harry found inconceivable, but it had its effect and made him really get up and dressed. A look in the bathroom mirror showed him that he wouldn’t only face Draco completely unprepared, but that he would also look like a living corpse. That was just <em>typical</em>, all this could <em>only</em> happen to him!</p><p>~</p><p>The Great Hall was still packed when Harry was dragged through the entrance by Ron. It smelled like a mixture of scrambled eggs and bacon, but Harry was only getting sick of that at the moment. He couldn’t stop himself from a tiny glance in the direction of the Slytherin table. Though he immediately looked away again, after noticing that he was being watched. Draco's look would have been terrible enough, but the rest of the Slytherins seemed to be interested in Harry's late arrival as well. Did Draco tell them about the kiss? Oh, Merlin, please no!</p><p>“Sit down!" Ron demanded determinedly, and when Harry reacted only sluggishly, he pressed his best friend surely onto the bench at the Gryffindor table. Hermione, who sat opposite him, exchanged a questioning look with Ron, who only shook his head briefly. Harry sighed, at least he sat with his back to Draco, so he wasn't tempted to look at him.</p><p>“Harry has something to tell us," Ron explained to Hermione, giving Harry a meaningful look. <em>Subtle, Ron. Real subtle</em>.</p><p>Hermione raised one eyebrow, glanced briefly over Harry's shoulder, then back at Harry. “Does it have anything to do with the fact that you're the talk of all the Slytherins?"</p><p>Startled, Harry opened his eyes, took a look behind him, noticed that he was still being stared at and discussed, turned back to Hermione and dropped his head on the tabletop. That just took it to the extreme, why <em>the hell</em> would Draco tell anyone else? Was he out for revenge? For the kiss? Or the ring stealing? He looked very human at the moment, meaning he must have got it back, the waterspirit had kept his word. But why he was now the number one topic of conversation among the Slytherins, he didn't know.</p><p>“Harry kissed Malfoy,” Ron announced flatly, for which he received a protest from Harry. “What? Afraid everyone will find out? That ship has sailed, mate.” Harry hated that Ron was right. If half of Slytherin already knew, then by lunchtime all of Hogwarts would know.</p><p>“And Malfoy didn't like it? That's why he's spreading the word now?” asked Hermione, with a highly critical expression on her face. Jesus, wasn't she even <em>surprised</em> that Harry had done it at all? And could his friends stop pretending this wasn’t a big deal?</p><p>“I don't <em>know</em> if he liked it. The kiss isn't really the problem either," Harry explained to her. He knew that it was finally time to come out with the whole truth. Inside, his emotions were running high. Hogwarts' entire attention on his shoulders was nothing he needed right now.</p><p>“Go on, then," Ron said, and Harry did.</p><p>He talked about how he had made the deal with the waterspirit and how he had tried for days to get the ring. He went on about how he had gone to Draco every night and he had felt wrong to betray him, but then the idea of a Sleeping Draught had come to him. He also said that he had got hold of the ring after the incident with Hermione and Ron and had taken it to the waterspirit that same evening. Then he told them of the complete curse, how he had fallen under Draco's spell and kissed him.</p><p>Ron and Hermione looked at him as if Harry had just told them he was a squib and had no more than a few bad card tricks up his sleeve. “Wait, you’re implying that with this curse part you are Malfoy's ‘saviour', but the saviour is recognisable by the fact that he does <em>not</em> fall under his spell. So why did you kiss him under the <em>spell</em>?" asked Ron, who looked as if he had just been given an incredibly complicated Arithmancy exercise.</p><p>Harry shrugged. “I don't understand it either. That never happened to me before when I was with him. It makes no sense at all, but the mere possibility that I could be his saviour… I don't know what I… Guys, I'm screwed…”</p><p>Encouragingly, Hermione patted Harry's hand as she thoughtfully drew her brows together. “The only thing different that night was that Malfoy didn’t wear his ring. Didn't you say that the ring holds the condition of the curse? If the ring is missing, the condition is also missing! That’s it!"</p><p>It was all Greek to Harry; Ron, fortunately, had a similar reaction. Hermione sighed theatrically, then straightened up as if she was going to give a presentation. “The ring is a symbol for the condition of the curse. The condition of the curse is that Malfoy is able to turn back into a human until his 19th birthday and that the curse can be broken if he meets his saviour and sleeps with him. Because Harry removed Malfoy's ring, the condition was also lost, including the effect that Harry couldn’t be affected by Malfoy's spell. Without the ring, it's as if Malfoy's curse has already manifested, so the saviour doesn't matter anymore and reacts like everyone else to the charm that comes from Malfoy's mer-creature form. Harry, you're really lucky the waterspirit held up his end of the deal, otherwise, it could have cost Malfoy's life.”</p><p>Harry's heart skipped. Holy shit, that was… not good. And most importantly, it still meant that Harry was Draco's saviour. Oh, God, and he had risked Draco's life recklessly, his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> whined softly. If Draco found out… Harry was so dead.</p><p>~</p><p><em>Transfiguration, Harry, Transfiguration, think of Transfiguration. TRANSFIGURATION!</em> But Harry didn’t think of Transfiguration and ignored his own admonishing inner voice. Prof. McGonagall was about to demonstrate a transfiguration spell and explain the theory behind it, but Harry just stared at the tabletop in front of him as if paralyzed. He could feel the curious glances of his classmates. Now that they had a lesson with the Slytherins, the rumours would only spread faster. Well, actually, it wasn't a rumour. It was the bloody truth, but it wasn't the <em>whole</em> truth.</p><p>Harry still couldn't make sense of why Draco had peddled the kiss; he had returned it after all. At least somehow. Besides, he risked provoking Harry to a point where he’d simply scream Draco’s secret out into the world. The Slytherin put too much faith in the chivalry of the Gryffindors and forgot about Harry's penchant for rash fury.</p><p>But just now Harry wasn’t angry, he had every right to be angry, but he wasn't. At most he was annoyed that these irritating looks didn’t leave him alone, but he didn’t feel any negative feelings towards Draco. In reality, he was worried. Worried about how he should deal with the Slytherin now and how he could explain to him that they still had to sleep with each other within the next few days.</p><p>Harry swallowed. The realization sent a cool shiver down his spine, which held unfavourably in his groin and caused an even more unfavourable tingling between his legs. That wasn't good. <em>Not good at all, zero per cent okay, just horrible, please stop, shit, this sucks! </em>Harry gave his crotch a brief angry look, his prick shouldn’t imagine that it had a right to selfishness. Draco and he had hardly kissed properly and Harry's body was already pining away for more. <em>Ridiculous</em>, his mind reminded him.</p><p>All right, if he wasn't following the lesson properly and was struggling with an erection just<em> thinking</em> about sex with Draco, he might as well come up with a battle plan. There was nothing else he could do anyway, the options were limited and, <em>oh right</em>, time was still running out for him! Him and Draco… Harry sighed theatrically and let himself sink even deeper into the chair. He ignored the quiet giggle behind him. He couldn't care less what his classmates were thinking.</p><p>A battle plan, then. Unfortunately, there were no textbooks on topics like how-to-get-Draco-Malfoy-into-bed, so Harry had to rely on his gut feeling. Ah crap, he really wasn't a romantic, at least he couldn't think of anything romantic at the moment that would convince Draco of him. The fact that Draco knew that the two would not be able to avoid sex dramatized the situation immensely. He wouldn’t get far with subtlety, the end of the story was known to both, so why beat about the bush?</p><p>Draco had once accused him of not being able to flirt and maybe the snooty pretty boy was right! Perhaps Harry's strength was the offensive, very much in stark contrast to Draco's subtlety. But Harry had already determined that subtlety was no longer an option. The offensive it was then. How did it work again? Oh yes, he needed an unhealthy portion of self-confidence and the tact of a troll. Harry would be able to help with that.</p><p>Maybe Draco wanted Harry to go on the offensive, maybe that was the reason why he had been telling people that Harry had a crush on him. Maybe he wanted Harry to stand by his feelings, maybe he wanted Harry to stop running away and stand his ground. Or maybe Harry wanted that himself, and just hoped it was Draco's reason.</p><p>A date! That would work, wouldn't it? Asking for a date in front of all of Hogwarts? <em>No problem</em>. Just the thought of it made Harry's cheeks turn hot. Inside, Harry was kicking himself. He was a Gryffindor, he was the defeater of Voldemort, he was the conqueror of <em>death</em>, a little blond Slytherin was nothing against it. And yet Harry's heart was beating with a force that made him fear that everyone around him was aware of it.</p><p>~</p><p>“Oi, Harry! I didn't know you had a thing for blonds.”</p><p>“Hey, Potter! Tell me, is my arse as hot as Malfoy's?"</p><p>“Does Malfoy really have a forked tongue? Doesn't that bother you when you're snogging?"</p><p>Harry simply put up with the lewd comments. Accompanied by his two best friends, he walked straight towards the Great Hall. He really didn't have the nerve to worry about anything else but that he had to face Draco in just a minute, so he didn't even get angry with the gapers. Ron, however, hexed anyone who squinted in their direction for even half a second too long. That he was pretty quickly out of breath, only confirming Harry's theory that by now all of Hogwarts must know.</p><p>Draco had disappeared immediately after the Transfiguration class and had thus denied Harry the opportunity to talk to him in peace, but the blond wouldn't miss his lunch. Harry's heart beat faster and he rubbed his sweaty hands dry on his jeans.</p><p>“Are you sure you want to ask him out and not kill him? After all, you owe him all the hustle and bustle," Ron remarked. Even if there was something to it, Harry didn't care. <em>No. Time. For. Such. trivialities,</em> warned his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>. It didn’t matter that Draco had spread the word, after all, it was Harry who hit the jackpot with a ten like Draco, <em>he</em> really couldn't care less what the others said about it. If anyone should be embarrassed, it was Draco. He had the reputation of an ice block and Harry melting it was flattering at best for the saviour of the wizarding world.</p><p>“Harry knows what he's doing,” Hermione took Harry's side as they turned into the Entrance Hall, where they were only at the mercy of more glances from bystanders. Ron sighed and stuck his wand into his cloak. For today that seemed like enough hexes for the redhead.</p><p>Harry didn't know what he was doing. His <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> said it was the right decision to give Draco and him a chance, but his mind told him at great length that Draco certainly wasn't into Harry, otherwise, he wouldn't insist on his own restraint and fight against his natural instincts. He was about to make a complete fool of himself. Harry ignored his mind, as he did quite often.</p><p>While Harry was putting together elaborate sentences in his head, the Gryffindor Trio entered the Great Hall and stopped in the entrance for a moment. Without exception, all the students gaped at them, some whispered, others giggled, but most just stared. <em>Don’t blush</em>, Harry admonished himself and hurriedly glided his gaze across the house tables until he got stuck at the Slytherin table and found a certain blond man there.</p><p>Draco Malfoy looked at Harry, but not as amused or interested as the others, his look literally begging that Harry would not do the following, but in a hackneyed way that spurred Harry on even more to make his plan a reality and, without another word to Ron or Hermione, he headed for the Slytherin table.</p><p>He became queasy when the whispering grew louder and the gawping looks didn’t disappear, but it was too late to turn back now anyway. <em>Be a Gryffindor, be a Gryffindor, be a Gryffindor.</em> Harry kept his eyes fixed firmly on Draco, who by now looked as if he was about to throw up. Even though he appeared quite composed to the naked eye of an ignorant person.</p><p>“Hello.“</p><p>Harry came to a halt in front of where Draco was seated and continued to struggle not to blush. In the Great Hall, one could probably have heard a pin drop by now, it had become so quiet. Even the teachers at the teacher's table looked interested in Harry's direction, perhaps they were worried that there would be injuries.</p><p>Draco, who had only turned to Harry with his upper body, pressed his lips together in response. Harry caught himself staring at them for a moment too long, then hurriedly gathered himself and cleared his throat to buy time.</p><p>“May I have a word?" Harry asked, his heart beating like mad.</p><p>Damn, that didn't go according to plan. Somehow, he’d hoped Draco would just say yes and amen as if there was nothing to it, but it didn't seem that way. The Slytherins next to Draco exchanged meaningful looks, while quiet whispers grew at the other house tables. Inside, Harry screamed, while on the outside he only allowed himself to put his hands inside his jeans, so no one could see how much they were shaking.</p><p>But then Draco rose, his eyes looked everywhere but Harry, he got up and walked past him without another word. For a moment, Harry was so perplexed that he just stood there as if rooted to the spot, but then he hurried, half stumbling, after Draco to the entrance. Shit, he hadn't asked him out yet, but Draco would at least talk to him. Even if now the vicious gossip about the two of them would never stop.</p><p>As soon as they arrived in the Entrance Hall, Draco whirled around to Harry, who still didn’t like this place, after all, there were quite a few bystanders standing around. “What is it, <em>Potter</em>," growled Draco at Harry, who had come to a halt in front of him, completely overwhelmed. The time had come, this was Harry's moment.</p><p>“I think it's time to ask you on a date!” He had done it. Harry had just done it, now it was out and he could stop worrying!</p><p>Draco's expression went from annoyed to surprised in less than a second. “Excuse me?"</p><p>“You and me. We should go out!” repeated Harry, who suddenly felt very safe.</p><p>“Go out…" Draco repeated as if he'd never uttered the word before.</p><p>Harry couldn’t quite hide his grin, so he bit his lips. Draco's eyes flitted to Harry's lips for a split second, then he took a step back. Harry just followed him, before, he had always run away, now he wouldn't let Draco follow in his footsteps. “Yeah, going out. You know, a date, which is what people our age do.”</p><p>Draco looked around frantically, his grasped facade beginning to crumble dangerously. Then he grabbed Harry's hand without further ado and pulled him behind him in a hurry, through the Entrance Hall, away from the interested glances that Harry felt burning on the back of his neck.</p><p>The first available door was ripped open by the Slytherin and Harry was rigorously pushed into a broom cupboard. It was similar to the one in which they had once talked, but it was tidier and not as dusty. The cleaning agents were even sorted alphabetically and looked as if they were used regularly. As soon as the door closed behind Draco, it was only enveloping darkness. Harry held his breath, remembering vividly the reputation the broom cupboard had among Hogwarts students. Would they-?</p><p>“<em>Lumos"</em></p><p>Light flashed next to Harry, but this time he stood still and watched Draco, who stood inappropriately close in front of him. However, neither of them moved backwards, which is why Harry's heart was beating faster again.</p><p>Why was the blond so close? Didn't he realize he was throwing Harry off track? The light scent of lavender almost killed him. Draco's eyes looked more silver than grey in the light of the Lumos, which reminded Harry strongly of his mer-creature form. Harry was wondering if he used his charm to confuse him. No, he was wearing the ring, meaning he couldn't, right? Draco had been a bit too attractive to Harry from the beginning. Maybe Draco couldn't <em>charm</em> him, but he made him weak anyway.</p><p>“So… The broom cupboard?” Harry didn't exactly know why he was saying the sentence with such lewdness, but the need to defuse the tension was growing in him.</p><p>“Merlin, Potter, get your mind out of the gutter,” Draco replied, but he sounded neither annoyed nor angry, only confused and stunned. Draco Malfoy was stunned. That Harry could live to see this.</p><p>To suppress his smirk, Harry pinched his lips together and reaped only a raised eyebrow from Draco. “So why did you do it?”</p><p>Now it was up to Harry to look confused. “What do you mean?"</p><p>“You publicly ask me for a tête-à-tête and now you pretend to be as mute as a fish," Draco stated and crossed his arms in front of his chest, he seemed almost disappointed.</p><p>Harry frowned. “A tata- What?"</p><p>Draco sighed, rolled his eyes and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Harry had seemingly missed his French lessons. “Why, <em>Potte</em>r, are you asking me for a <em>date</em> in front of everybody?”</p><p>Ah, okay, that was intelligible English. Harry ran his fingers through his dark hair. What did Draco mean by that question? Wasn't it obvious? “Well, it was kind of overdue, plus <em>you</em> told everyone about… us!"</p><p>Harry didn't want to sound like he was defending himself, even if he was. Draco hadn’t yet agreed, which put Harry under enormous pressure. A simple yes couldn't be that hard to get across. With his hands buried in his jeans pockets, Harry wondered if his mind was right after all and Draco had nothing more than a pejorative look for him.</p><p>“I didn't…” Draco broke off and looked past Harry until he looked him straight in the eye again. “Why do you care? It's just the facts of the case, you <em>did</em> kiss me.”</p><p>The heat on Harry's cheeks was immediately noticeable, just as his pounding heart did not see fit to calm down. Draco had said it out loud and now it hung over them like an oppressive mist and made sure that Draco's cheeks also took on a soft pink tone. Somehow an adorable sight, Harry thought, but the embarrassment of the situation outweighed that.</p><p>“That was because I was under your spell or charm or whatever," lied Harry. Well, he wasn't entirely lying, but he wasn't quite telling the truth either.</p><p>Draco snorted in anger. “No, that's impossible. My charm has no effect on you, you are-" Draco paused with that as if he had already said too much.</p><p>This time it was Harry who snorted. “Yeah, because I'm your saviour. No fucking shit!"</p><p>Draco's reaction was really amusing to look at, the eyes that grew big, the startled gasping that came out of his lips, and the small step that he took backwards in astonishment. “How did you-?”</p><p>At that moment, maybe Harry should have thought about lying. He knew that himself, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if Draco's desire to kill would only come to light again when Harry was telling the truth, it wasn't fair to continue lying now. Not after he recklessly risked Draco’s life by lying to him. No, that wouldn't happen to him again.</p><p>“I had to borrow your ring last night," Harry admitted, sounding both determined and guilty. Draco, on the other hand, looked at him as if he had just tried to put a Cruciatus Curse on him. “I made a deal with the waterspirit, it told me the rest of the curse in return.”</p><p>Harry nervously watched Draco's face, his expression slowly but surely loosened from the sheer horror. The right side of his upper lip began to twitch slightly, shit, that was a bad sign!</p><p>“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now.”</p><p>And with that, a warm welcome to Draco's terrifying side, which Harry didn’t like to experience. At least he didn't have any claws at the moment that he could stab in Harry’s throat or heart. This was welcome, but he still carried a working wand and had the ability to cause pain to Harry with his gaze alone.</p><p>“You’ll need me if you want to keep your legs?" Or in other words, <em>you still need me for your deflowering, all of me! Even my balls, so don’t dare</em> <em>hex them away!</em> Harry almost smiled at his own thoughts, but Draco kept looking at him so angrily that he preferred not to.</p><p>“Is this funny to you?" Draco asked, with suppressed anger in his voice.</p><p>Harry hurriedly shook his head and looked down at his toes. “No. I know it was dangerous. But you got your ring back, so everything went well.”</p><p>An indefinable growl, probably Draco, who was inferior to his predator instincts, filled the room and gave Harry goosebumps. Oh god no, he wasn't allowed to get turned on by <em>that</em>! Uncertainly Harry looked up from his feet again. Draco had turned away a bit, held on to his wand, no longer crossed his arms, just gazed indefinitely at a medium-sized spider in the corner above the front door, sitting calmly in its web without moving.</p><p>“I'm sorry, I was just at the limit of my options," Harry admitted guiltily.</p><p>Draco glared at him, then sighed and his eyes softened a little. “I suspected it after you tried to sedate me with Slughorn's Sleeping Draught. If the incident with your friends hadn't happened-“ Draco faltered and Harry opened his eyes in astonishment. Draco knew about the potion? But how?</p><p>Draco caught Harry's gaze and rolled his eyes again. “In my mer-creature form, I have the ability of heightened senses. The potion tastes like pulverized coal.” Hurriedly Harry nodded while Draco fixed his gaze on the spider again. Heightened senses made sense, after all, Draco had almost seen Harry under his invisibility cloak, for that he required superhuman strength.</p><p>“It wasn't me who told the whole school about <em>us</em>. I only confided in Pansy, none of us could have known that one of her floozy friends was listening.” Draco sounded calm and composed as he talked. Harry instantly felt even more guilty. Of course, it hadn’t been Draco, that wouldn't make sense. Harry mentally facepalmed himself. Why did he think for even a moment that Draco could do such a thing? It ruined his own reputation far more than Harry's.</p><p>“Why didn't you say anything about the Sleeping Draught? You… just drank," Harry asked cautiously, not too hastily, careful not to break the thin ice.</p><p>“I knew it wouldn't have any significant effect on me, besides, I was hoping to find out why you wanted to put me to sleep," Draco replied, studying Harry's face, his gaze stuck to Harry's lips for a little too long. Harry ignored that, as usual.</p><p>Instead, he looked past Draco and struggled for the right words. “I - listen, I have this insatiable need inside me. My <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, it made it impossible for me not to at least try. The waterspirit promised me that I could use the information to protect you from the curse and-“</p><p>“Your <em>what</em>?" Draco interrupted him, frowning, but despite the concentration, his eyes were glued on Harry’s lips.</p><p>“My <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>! The feeling started when you rescued me in the lake and it was quite indefinable at first. I just wanted you to be safe and to, you know, protect you. The need became more and more insistent over time, so I named it," Harry explained, trying not to blush.</p><p>Draco kept looking at him intently, then nodded slowly as if he understood. “Mother told me this might happen. This feeling you’re describing… It didn’t appear because I saved you, but because you saw me for the first time in my mer-creature form. Even though neither of us knew it at the time, the curse knew your entity, identified you as my saviour and something broke loose in you that made you feel you had to follow your destiny.”</p><p>Harry looked at Draco in astonishment as his mind nodded approvingly and gave Harry a lecture on how it had always known that this <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> hadn’t just arisen out of nothing and had a reason. Harry ignored his mind and tried to calm his raging heart. Did that mean that he was only so fond of Draco because his purpose was to save him? Did that make sense? Actually, his <em>Helper-Syndrome </em>had always held back when Harry had thought of Draco in a certain way, it had only been there when the opportunity arose to help Draco, perhaps –</p><p>“I can't believe you named it <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>! If anything, you have a saviour complex,” Draco interrupted Harry's thoughts and smiled a little. He still seemed to be lost in thought, but also as if he could slowly understand many things better.</p><p>“Well, the feeling was new and strange. When something has a name, it makes it less terrifying," Harry admitted, feeling hopelessly at the mercy of the grey eyes that looked straight at him and captivated him. Fuck, that feeling… was that him or the curse? Harry didn't know it but was shocked to discover that he didn't care much at the moment. Curse or no curse his body reacted very clearly to the blond and Harry knew he couldn't ignore it forever.</p><p>“Why would you ask me for a rendezvous if the kiss was the fault of my charm?" Draco interrupted Harry's thoughts once again and changed the subject brutally, his arms crossed again, he patterned him with a calculating expression on his face.</p><p>Harry felt the blush on his cheeks, gave himself a mental smack on the back of his head for his insecurity and then thought for a split second whether <em>thinking first and doing then </em>might have been the wiser way, but the answer was as simple as it could possibly be: No.</p><p>Harry only had to take a tiny step forward, bend forward just a little bit and his lips were already on Draco's. His stomach resembled a Quidditch box, full of wild snitches, while his mind was completely blank. Only Draco's warm lips on his, the sweet smell of lavender and the delicious body warmth of Draco he perceived. His body moved closer to Draco's as if by magic, selfishly taking what it desired and ignoring possible concerns, which at the moment had no bearing anyway.</p><p>When Draco then parted his lips slowly so that their tongues could make acquaintance, Harry knew that he was lost. Fuck principles, fuck the right thing, fuck the curse, Draco was here, he was here and that was definitely the answer he was looking for to his confusing feelings.</p><p>However, when he reached for Draco's waist with his hands, he pulled away from Harry at such a speed that he had trouble standing. Blinking, Harry found his way back to reality, even though he would have liked to deny it for a moment longer.</p><p>“Tomorrow before dinner in the Entrance Hall. Don't be late!”</p><p>And with that, the Lumos spell vanished, the door of the broom cupboard was ripped open and Draco Malfoy disappeared, leaving behind a completely bewildered Harry.</p><p>Oh <em>hell</em>, he’d done it. He had kissed him. Again! So it was probably official and he could no longer deny his feelings for the Slytherin to himself. And on top of that, Harry James Potter had a date! With the biggest block of ice Hogwarts had ever seen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Tête-à-Tête</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>With MerMay approaching it would be a shame to drag out the uploads of the last chapters unnecessarily.<br/>Let's do a chapter every second day until May 1st. It's the final sprint, guyssss!^^</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ronald, your opinion is absolutely useless! Turn again, Harry!” Hermione strictly instructed Harry, who followed the request with an eye roll. It was late afternoon the next day, the Gryffindor trio had retired to Harry and Ron's dormitory and were content to make preparations for Harry's date, which would soon begin.</p><p>Harry had, of course, told them what had happened with Draco and while Ron had pursed his lips, Hermione had already started to plan Harry's outfit. Why his friends, like the rest of Hogwarts, were not particularly surprised by the latest developments between a certain Gryffindor and a certain Slytherin, made Harry think, but not too much. He told himself that they were probably used to worse things because of the war.</p><p>“Where do you want to go? Or are you just living up to the reputation of the broom cupboard again?” asked Ron, who was lying on his bed and watching Harry amused. Hermione, who was sitting at the edge of Ron's bed, was gesticulating in the air to show Harry in which direction he should turn so that she could see him from all angles.</p><p>Harry snorted as he tugged at the collar of his shirt. It was too tight, too neat. It made him nervous to get dressed up like this and even more nervous when he thought about why he dressed up like this. “To Hogsmeade. The teachers can hardly stop us when they are busy with dinner.”</p><p>“Ohh, how rebellious," Hermione replied in Ron's place and reaped an affirmative laugh from the redhead.</p><p>“Can I ask you something, Harry?” Hermione took a more serious tone. Harry fiddled with his sleeve, but nodded and looked at Hermione, waiting. “Have you ever thought about whether these positive feelings for Malfoy only come from this ‘<em>Helper-Syndrome’</em>? And yes, I know we haven't really talked about how exactly you feel about him, but it's pretty obvious. After all, you asked him out.”</p><p>Harry stopped in his nervous movements and felt a little lost standing in the middle of the room with the questioning looks of his best friends on him. He cleared his throat and fought the heat on his cheeks. “Yeah, I thought about it. Maybe not enough, but right now I really have other concerns. First, let me convince Draco to let me save him, then I'll be happy to analyze this emotional thing in detail with you.” Harry meant what he said and his friends seemed to notice that too.</p><p>“In case you're interested in what I think, I don't think you can blame everything on the ‘<em>Helper-Syndrome'</em>. You're trimmed to save him, and even though it'll most likely have to be through sex, it doesn't mean you have to find him more attractive than necessary.” Hermione looked at Harry seriously and seemed as if she wanted to give him some important advice.</p><p>Harry frowned, felt a little overwhelmed with everything and shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I think so too,” was the only thing he could think to say.</p><p>Hermione sighed. She seemed to notice that Harry hadn’t understood her advice. “I just don't want you to get caught up in something, Harry. I know that you are just following your natural or rather cursed instincts, but try to think about whether you really want to do that. You have to be aware that you won’t just sleep with each other and then everything will be the same again. Malfoy will be <em>bound</em> to you and you will become his luck or misfortune. I think you should really be sure that you can live with your decision no matter what your future will ultimately look like!”</p><p>Harry felt a hurricane of emotions brewing inside him and cursed Hermione mentally that she had to bring this up right now. He knew all this. He had also lost one or two thoughts about it, but it was absolutely impossible for him to decide against saving Draco. And yes, much of that was due to his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, but his moral attitude also kept him from dropping Draco. And last but not least, there were these feelings for him, still very fresh and new, but they were there, so Harry included them in his decision.</p><p>“Do you like him? Generally speaking,” Ron joined in the conversation.</p><p>A valid question, Harry thought, and he slowly began to nod. “He's become quite agreeable.”</p><p>“Because he turns you on or because he's really trying to be a better person?” Ron asked further and Harry began to pull nervously at the hem of his sweater. He'd be lying if he said it was purely curse-free. It was <em>interesting</em> to be courted by Draco, it really helped his case. “Both?”</p><p>Ron nodded and sat up a little while he thoughtfully let his gaze wander across the room. “Does that mean you don't care?” he then asked calmly.</p><p>Harry frowned. “About what?”</p><p>“Your past,” Ron explained, and Harry sighed. Hermione glanced back and forth from her boyfriend to Harry but didn't intervene. Ron didn't sound reproachful, so Harry didn't feel provoked.</p><p>“That’s…difficult. Right now? Yeah, I don't give it much thought. In general? It should probably interest me more and I'm even sure that we will start to work on some things at some point. But not today and not tomorrow.” Harry's answer was carefully chosen and satisfied the curiosity of his friends.</p><p>“Well, maybe it won't be so strange kicking you out tonight then!” Ron changed the subject and looked at Harry with a meaningful look.</p><p>“What?" asked Hermione with raised eyebrows in Ron's direction.</p><p>“Nothing, I just want to call in a favour with Harry.”</p><p>Harry gave his best friend a horrified look. “Tonight?” Ron nodded with a fat grin on his face. “It's too short notice, I can't move the others out so fast!", Harry said.</p><p>Ron just nodded. “Don't worry, I've already taken care of the others. Just don't come back tonight.”</p><p>Harry groaned in exasperation but then gave in with a nod. He had almost forgotten about the favour for the password of the Prefects’ Bathroom, but promised was promised. Where Harry would spend the night, he had yet to decide, a faint hope let blood flow into regions that were just inappropriate.</p><p>“I'm not even going to ask,” added Hermione, looking at her boyfriend calculably. Harry couldn't help but grin. “You look great though, Harry. Malfoy will be eating out of your hand!”</p><p>Harry had to blindly trust Hermione's judgement, as he hadn’t seen himself in the mirror yet. All he knew was that he was wearing a black button-down shirt with an equally black sweater on top to make it a little more casual. Then she had forced him to wear black cloth trousers because in her opinion the jeans were not suitable for a date. Ron thought that Harry looked too dressed up and Harry agreed with him mentally.</p><p>“I bet the jeans would look great with this as well!" Harry stated and immediately found himself in a ten-minute long discussion, which he eventually won and ended up putting on his jeans. With the compromise that he took off the sweater as well and left it only with the button-down shirt. It was still pretty dressed up, but not as bad as before.</p><p>Looking at his wristwatch, Harry noticed that he should probably get going soon. Again, nervousness rose in him. Hermione asked him to remember that he didn't have to feel forced to do anything and Ron allowed himself to joke at Harry’s expense that he could just ask Draco for a bed for the night. Harry cracked up. Not. Then he made his way to the Entrance Hall.</p><p>~</p><p>When Harry entered the Entrance Hall, he immediately saw Draco. He stood a little away from the hustle and bustle of the students, who went into the Great Hall to have a rather early dinner. He looked good, of course, he looked good. He even wore dark cloth trousers that looked very similar to the ones that Harry had tried on, but Draco wasn't the type for jeans anyway, unlike Harry. Not that they didn't suit him, he just didn't wear them much. Harry remarked mentally that he was probably going crazy because thinking about Draco's trousers was just strange.</p><p>Before Harry could walk the remaining meters between himself and Draco, he heard the screech of a post owl. More precisely, the screeching of Errol, who performed an astonishing crash landing next to Harry's feet and simply remained there. Until Harry squatted in front of the owl and poked him with a finger, then the age-influenced creature rattled up and held out a foot with a small letter tied to it. That had to be Bill's letter! Errol arrived quite late, but the joy of the news made Harry ignore this fact. He hurriedly untied the letter, slipped it into his pocket, and then looked up, straight into amused grey eyes.</p><p>“Post from secret admirers with whom I have to compete?" Draco, looking down on Harry, asked as if it were the most normal thing in the world. The heat on Harry’s cheeks grew as he lowered his gaze to Errol and shook his head. “Judging by the condition of the owl, the competition wouldn’t be too invincible anyway,” Draco added, still sounding amused.</p><p>Harry rose from his crouched position and tried it with a crooked grin. “Fancy something to drown the sorrows?" He didn’t abandon the habit of ignoring Draco's flirting attempts, physical or verbal, at that moment.</p><p>Draco drew his lips into an honest smile before he nodded. That had been easy. Harry exhaled with relief, then reached for Draco's hand, who willingly allowed it, and left Hogwarts with him through the Main Entrance Gates. Nobody stopped them, no Filch, no Professors, there was no one who cared about them, except the group of about two dozen students who looked after them curiously. That evening, Hogwart's rumour mill would be working overtime.</p><p>Harry and Draco took their time on the way to Hogsmeade. It wasn’t dark yet, thanks to the long evenings of the summer, so it didn’t feel as if curfew was about to begin. Draco didn't say much, neither did Harry. The silence was a bit strange but surprisingly pleasant in spite of everything. Draco's cool hand in Harry's made the situation even more bearable than it already was.</p><p>Harry considered talking about certain things on the way. Perhaps Draco's wound, the magic that Draco possessed even without his wand when Draco had noticed that he preferred men or how he generally felt about black-haired Gryffindors. But he held back. Curiosity or not, Harry could be glad enough that Draco had agreed at all to this date, after all, he took a much greater risk than the Savior of the Wizarding World.</p><p>The Savior of the Wizarding World and now the Savior of Draco Malfoy. Under no circumstances was he spared his fate. What did Draco think after he found out? Harry well remembered the stressed look on Draco's face after his two best friends had taken them by surprise in the Prefects’ Bathroom. That must have been the moment of his realization, right? Yes, for sure. After all, he had avoided Harry as if he were Voldemort himself. It didn't really change much for Harry if he was honest. Yes, he now knew where this need to protect Draco came from and he also knew that he had to be the one to do <em>it</em> with Draco, but it didn't change his attitude. He wanted to continue to help Draco by all means possible. Harry couldn’t suppress a soft sigh, but Draco didn’t say anything.</p><p>Instead, he pushed open the door to the Hog's Head Inn. A lot had happened here since the war. Even if the public parlour still looked a bit shabby, it was cleaned at least once. The dirt, which had always accumulated on the ground like a kind of coating in the past and had never been swept away, was gone now and the Butterbeer was no longer served in dusty bottles, but in dusty glasses. Progress, Harry thought. By this time of the day, some shady figures were already gathering in the dark corners of the room and smoked their cigars with an intensity that the stinging smoke burned Harry's eyes.</p><p>Aberforth, the owner of the inn, gave Harry a friendly nod, though it could hardly be made out because of the smoke. Harry just nodded back smiling and pulled Draco resolutely into a free semi-dark corner. A little privacy wouldn't hurt.</p><p>“Anything specific?” asked Harry, who, unlike Draco, didn’t sit down at the table.</p><p>As Draco only shook his head, Harry went to the bar and let Aberforth pour <em>something-strong</em> into glasses that looked as if they were too big shot glasses. This would help to loosen the mood, even if the amber-coloured drink in the dirty glass looked rather disgusting. While speaking a simple cleaning spell over the glasses, he overheard a young and quite attractive man asking Aberforth about a "bright-glowing" woman with whom he had apparently spent an interesting night. Harry smiled at the thought that waterspirits were probably simpler than they suggested, but then he went back to their table and put one of the glasses in front of Draco.</p><p>“I suppose that's the expensive booze?" Draco asked disapprovingly with sarcasm dripping from his voice, as soon as Harry sat down opposite him in the half-dark corner on a shaky chair. Harry grinned cheekily, he didn't know much about alcohol, but enough to know that this in front of them was <em>not</em> an expensive pleasure. Draco drew his lips as he looked at the drink, but then took pity and held out his glass to Harry as he looked straight into his eyes.</p><p>“Next time we’ll go to a wine tasting, maybe that will meet your standards!” With this, Harry chinked his glass against Draco’s and emptied the glass at one swallow. The liquid burned into Harry's mouth and throat and made him cough up in a frenzy while he felt his stomach already rebelling. Draco's facial expression resembled Harrys very much, which made him laugh throatily.</p><p>“Charming, <em>Potter</em>!” Draco grumbled, placing his equally empty glass next to Harry's on the amazingly dust-free table.</p><p>“That’s my speciality, little mermaid” Harry teased the blond, amused. Did he already notice the effect of the alcohol? Not quite, it hadn't been that strong after all.</p><p>“I'd prefer you to come up with a different nickname for me,” Draco replied as he dropped his chin on the back of his hand and examined Harry from this position.</p><p>Harry continued to smile unwaveringly. “That's what you called yourself, where does the change of heart come from?"</p><p>“In literature, mermaids are considered to be female. So, tell me, what does reality look like?"</p><p>Harry frowned. Draco wasn’t a girl, he understood, but that wasn’t how he’d explained the concept of mermaids. “Maiden, like the virgin, not the woman. Why does that bother you?” he rattled the knowledge acquired by Draco off.</p><p>Draco rolled his eyes. “Of course, a term that summarizes my lack of sexual knowledge is extremely flattering to me.”</p><p>Harry laughed briefly, then leaned back in his chair to look at Draco, lost in thought. “What do you want to be called then?"</p><p>“Draco would probably be an acceptable option," Draco speculated suggestive, while he gently smiled at Harry, his head still resting on his hand.</p><p>Harry smiled back, he suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy. They had often called each other by their first name, they didn't have to fool themselves, but this seemed like an invitation to do it more often and maybe even exclusively. Even though the inside of his hand was a bit sweaty, Harry reached out to Draco. “Nice to meet you, Draco. My name is Harry!”</p><p>An amused smile tugged at Draco's lips, evidently thinking about whether he should give in to this childishness. But then he reached out for Harry's hand, grabbed it and shook it lightly. Before Draco could pull his hand back, Harry's grip tightened and he turned Draco's hand so that the back pointed upwards. Harry didn’t let himself think about this too much, he just pulled the pale fingers to his lips and placed gentle kisses on the soft skin, always careful to look Draco in the eyes. Ron would certainly be oddly proud of Harry now. That was flirting on a <em>different</em> level and judging by Draco's reaction, he seemed to like it. Well, as far as flushed cheeks and a mouth slightly opened in surprise could provide information about pleasure.</p><p>Draco's hand was cool and felt good on Harry's lips. The fact that it had no webs and claw-like fingernails certainly helped, but even so, Harry could only be satisfied with the condition of Draco's hand. Not that it mattered. Jesus, flirting really threw him off the track.</p><p>“A bit rash for someone who just introduced himself to me, <em>Harry</em>,” said Draco, with a hint of a smile on his lips, before he withdrew his hand. He seemed to struggle hard not to simply give in to his desire, but he controlled himself.</p><p>Too bad, Harry could’ve kept on kissing his hand for a while. But Harry's first name from Draco's mouth just sounded pleasant, so maybe he should continue the kisses right on Draco's lips. Harry remembered that he might have to step on the brakes a bit. A few days ago, he had been completely paranoid at the idea of what Draco's mere existence did to his body, and now? Now his body finally demanded what it imagined it deserved.</p><p>“Maybe we should start to call a spade a spade,” it came from Draco, pulling Harry out of his thoughts.</p><p>“But we didn’t talk about the weather yet! Who’s being rash now?" asked Harry, who already suspected what Draco was aiming for, but didn’t want to change the mood unnecessarily.</p><p>“Subtlety, is something that would certainly do you good, Pot-"</p><p>“Harry!" Harry interrupted with a meaningful grin on his lips.</p><p>Draco gave him an exasperated look, then he sighed. “All right, <em>Harry</em>. For what reason did you really invite me?”</p><p>Surprised, Harry raised an eyebrow. No meaningful conversation about how they should deal with their situation, or how Draco felt about the fact, that Harry would be his glorious saviour in need? “I already told you that. It was long overdue, and I'd like to get to know you better before we-" Harry broke off, the suggestion was already unpleasant enough.</p><p>Draco looked at him calmly, but Harry recognized uncertainty in his eyes. “May I conclude from this that you are still willing to break the curse?”</p><p>Surprised, Harry sat up a little on his chair. Why else would he be trying so hard? Was Draco really that blind? “Yes?”</p><p>Draco nodded busily and barely noticeably moved a bit back with his chair. Harry noticed it anyway. "I already suspected it, but I wanted to have complete certainty. I'm absolutely sure that you think you're doing the right thing in this case, but I can assure you that it won't end the way you're imagining it.”</p><p>Confused, Harry opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t think of a suitable answer. His mind once again spoke out, which felt confirmed in its theory that Draco didn’t find him to be attractive enough, because he fought his desire to surrender himself to Harry tooth and nail. Understandably, his mind just had to add. Meanwhile, Harry's heart began to struggle with an ordinary rhythm, as if it were preparing to be ripped out of Harry's chest.</p><p>“You have no idea what the consequences would be. I can't accept that,” Draco continued. He sounded as if he had rehearsed the sentence in order not to ungratefully snub Harry, but at the same time to make it clear to him that he had just been rejected.</p><p>“Do you <em>realize</em> that there is no worse consequence than you being bound to the sea for the rest of your life?” asked Harry, who struggled not to sound too hurt. His <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> paralyzed his limbs, while at the same time it was encouraging Harry to talk Draco out of this madness.</p><p>Draco sighed, let himself sink against the back of his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “I understand that you want to help me, but-“</p><p>“Bullshit!” Harry interrupted angrily; he didn't want to listen to this rehearsed nonsense anymore. That wasn't Draco talking. And if it was, then he was simply wrong. “Draco, you'd be practically dead! And you reject the path that will save you from death? If you're seriously asking me to understand, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you!”</p><p>Draco's gaze had something painful in it when he raised his head again and looked directly at Harry. “This is really not a decision that’s supposed to off-“</p><p>“It's not about whether it <em>offends</em> me or not. Yeah sure, it's certainly not nice to be rejected, but this isn't about us. It's about you! Because you prefer pure suicide to a more complicated life!” Harry interrupted Draco again. He really made an effort not to let his hurt pride show through and not to sound too pathetic, after all, the bottom line was to convince Draco of having sexual intercourse with him. Merlin, he wasn’t <em>that</em> desperate. Okay, maybe he was a little bit.</p><p>Draco observed the wooden tabletop in front of him with fascination and looked as if he had set all the lights in his head on stand-by. It only made Harry angrier. It was like talking to a brick wall. Normally Harry would’ve taken that with an eye-roll, but this wasn't about a trifle, it was about Draco's life!</p><p>“Come on, you don't want this. Think of everyone who would miss you. Your mother would be devastated if she found out that you denied the possibility of a life on land.” Harry hated himself for saying those words. Surely it was the truth, but using Draco's mother to get Draco in bed? He felt miserable, even though he knew that he only wanted to save his life.</p><p>Draco looked at Harry briefly, then he ran his fingers distracted through his hair. One of his legs began trembling, while Draco seriously began to chew on his fingernails. Inwardly Harry yelled, Draco's nervousness already revealed that he shouldn’t push him further into the corner, but what else could Harry have done? Let Draco run into his doom? Certainly not.</p><p>“I don't want to… push you to do anything. I'm just trying to save your life.” The sentence sounded even cheaper than in Harry's head. It was no secret that Harry was interested in Draco, wherever that might have come from. That Draco didn’t respond to this interest to the same extent, he just made it clear. After all, Draco was <em>supposed</em> to find him attractive, purely because of the curse, so why else would he resist so vehemently?</p><p>“I've already told you that I don't believe in fairy tales. You think it's so simple! It’s not you…” Draco began, but broke off and left it at that. Harry cried out inwardly. That didn't sound like progress, more like Draco was too sure to change his mind.</p><p>“What is it then, Draco? Are you just not interested in living anymore?” Harry asked more snappily than planned. Merlin, he made a fuss, but admittedly Draco's decision was highly questionable.</p><p>Instead of answering, Draco again looked at the tabletop in front of him and remained silent. Harry snorted. Of course, he was silent now. Perhaps he was already regretting that he had told Harry about the curse at all, but now he had to deal with the consequences. Harry felt pretty stupid that he had even suggested this date and was just a blink of an eye away from getting up and leaving. But something stopped him.</p><p>Maybe Draco's silence stopped him, maybe the hope that Draco might still give in, maybe the urge not to run away again, maybe this crappy <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> and last but not least, maybe it was the fact that he couldn't go back to his dormitory anyway. Harry remained seated. His arms crossed in front of his chest, with an aching chest and anger in his veins, he just sat opposite Draco and waited. On the fact that Draco would say something, something that would put the mood back on track, but Draco kept silent and didn't care about the mood.</p><p>Harry didn't know how long they just sat there, but he used the time to study Draco, who stared at the tabletop in front of him with always the same expression on his face and didn't move a millimetre, except for his breathing. Harry would’ve gladly given all his gold to be told what was going on in Draco’s mind, but his gold remained in his possession and Draco's thoughts remained hidden from him.</p><p>Harry could see how the sun slowly but surely disappeared and the dark night fell on Hogsmeade. Time passed so agonizingly slowly, but also so furiously fast that Harry felt he couldn’t keep up.</p><p>“Do you want to go to the fifth floor tonight?” Harry didn't know why he asked the question, but his need to ensure Draco's safety and well-being pushed him to do so. He didn't even know why he was asking a question in the first place. And the least of all he knew why he asked this very question after an eternity of silence. Though he knew Draco suffered physical pain if he neglected his mer-creature form for too long, officially Harry didn't know that Draco hadn’t gone to the Prefects’ Bathroom last night but had stayed in his bed. Yes, only the unofficial part of his mind that kept searching the Marauder’s Map for Draco knew about it.</p><p>“No. I prefer to spend my last days as a human,” Draco replied without looking up. Harry's breathing slowed, but his heartbeat quickened. That sounded like a final decision and even though Harry could hardly contain his anger, he had to respect that for now. At least he'd have to try.</p><p>Pushing away an answer, Harry rose from his chair. His limbs ached from sitting for so long, yet he refrained from stretching. Instead, he held out his hand to Draco, who looked at it for a moment before he grabbed it and rose up as well. Draco didn't want him. Harry would have to accept that, although he actually couldn't and especially if it meant Draco's death.</p><p>~</p><p>Since Harry suspected that the normal way back to the castle would only bring the tormented mood even further down, they used the secret passage from the Hog's Head Inn to the Room of Requirement, which awakened uncomfortable memories in Harry. The way was faster, and besides, Harry didn't feel compelled to talk. The Room of Requirement was just a simple rectangular room that offered nothing but its exit, which was also their entrance to Hogwarts. On the 7th floor and opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, Harry stopped. No teacher or Filch far and wide, fate was kind to them.</p><p>Uncertain as to how he could save this disastrous date, Harry turned to Draco and shoved his hands deep into his jean pockets. Draco returned the look blankly, which drove Harry half-mad.</p><p>“We should get some sleep, we have classes tomorrow.”</p><p>Harry almost laughed bitterly. Why was Draco still interested in their classes? In a few days, it was all over anyway. “Ron is currently occupying my dormitory,” he admitted and blamed his directness on the alcohol, the effects of which had long faded away.</p><p>Draco raised one eyebrow, then a slight smile formed on his lips. Harry's heart took a little jump, the catastrophe would end with a reasonably happy Draco. That was good!</p><p>“Did you expect me to invite you to my bed on the first date?” asked the Slytherin, with a smug smile on his lips. The undertone hurt Harry's chest, but once again his body reacted with pure desire. “You're lucky I don't care about etiquette.”</p><p>With this, Draco grabbed Harry's hand and, without waiting for a word of consent, pulled him in the direction of the dungeons. Harry could hardly close his opened mouth out of pure surprise, while his stomach almost burst with snitches flying around. This was definitely not the end he had expected and he was also not quite sure if he wasn’t dreaming. However, the pale fingers interlaced in his seemed very real, so Harry just let reality wash over him.</p><p>~</p><p>The Slytherin Common Room lay silent and deserted in front of them, but Draco wasted no time in lingering there for too long and moved Harry on into a dimly lit hallway with several wooden doors on either side. Harry felt like he was flying. Even though Draco's actions and his words from the Hog’s Head had no relation to each other, this was definitely an intoxicating feeling.</p><p>In front of a wooden door, which resembled the others in every detail, Draco came to a halt and took a quick look at Harry, who certainly had to look a bit lost. “You won't make a sound, go straight to the dark door just to the right of the entrance and wait for me there, understand?"</p><p>Harry nodded, although he wasn't sure why Draco had such a bossy commanding tone. He probably didn't want to wake his bunkmates, but for that, he could just cast a Muffliato Charm over Draco's bed. Why he should go to a chamber outside the dormitory didn't make sense.</p><p>Draco reached for the iron door handle and opened the door just a small gap without making a sound. Hurriedly Harry slipped through the crack, could hardly look around, then his feet carried him to the door Draco had spoken of. This door also made no sound, which really relieved Harry as he walked through it and found himself in the Slytherin Bathroom. It was very similar to that of the Gryffindors. Some shower stalls, some toilet stalls, some washbasins with mirrors hanging over them, nothing particularly noticeable. Only that the bathroom was in dark tiles.</p><p>Harry was just about to look around when the door behind him opened a crack and Draco entered the bathroom. In his arms, he carried a small pile of folded clothes, of which he pressed the top two pieces of clothing against Harry's chest. “I'm going to assume you didn't bring any spare clothes.”</p><p>Surprised, Harry took a look at the clothes. A pair of grey loose trousers that looked like they could be used as pyjamas as well as everyday clothes and a simple black t-shirt. Still in surprise, Harry lifted his eyes to look at Draco, who watched him observantly during his inspection. “Thanks?” Harry replied, but it sounded more like a question.</p><p>Draco just grinned contentedly, then turned to go further inside the bathroom. He stopped at a washbasin and opened the tap. Harry watched him fascinated, how would Draco avoid touching the water? But Draco didn't seem to intend to transform himself, for he raised one hand, directed it at the jet of water that rushed from the tap. With a wink of his wrist, a bludger-sized bubble of water gathered in the air in front of him, which then glided, following Draco's hand movement, to a couple of locker-like doors embedded in the tiles. The water bubble enclosed the opener of one of the locker doors, which caused it to open. Harry didn’t recognize the content in detail. Towels could be seen and just now the water bubble encircled a toothbrush, which it then brought unerringly to Draco. Careful not to touch the water Draco took his toothbrush in his hand on a small dry part and let the water bubble shatter in the sink in front of him.</p><p>Harry's mouth was wide open as he watched in amazement as Draco calmly began to brush his teeth. That show-off! The guy had been perfectly aware that Harry was watching him and had deliberately shown him his skills. But what that blowhard could do, Harry could do even better.</p><p>With his mouth closed again, Harry turned a bit away from Draco, pretending not to notice him. But he was well aware that Draco could observe him closely in the mirror. Once more Harry exhaled shakily, then, seemingly unconcerned, he began to unbutton his shirt. <em>Don't blush now</em>, Harry silently admonished himself and stared at some dark tiles in front of him to collect his thoughts.</p><p>His shirt fell and Harry wondered what the fuck he was even doing. This was a pretty pathetic attempt to turn Draco on. After all, Draco only wanted Harry because his body was trying to break free from a curse that could potentially destroy him. But Draco had returned the kiss, despite all attempts to resist the desire towards Harry. He had even started the French kiss. Did people do that when they had no interest in another person?</p><p>Harry had almost forgotten that Draco was watching him and slipped on the T-shirt Draco had given him. It was tight, a little too tight. Draco's stature was a bit slimmer than Harry's and he was definitely not the type to wear oversized. Harry ignored the soft crack of the shirt every time he moved too quickly and pulled his jeans off his hips. Thank Merlin, he wore acceptable boxer shorts.</p><p>For a moment Harry felt tempted to look at Draco, just to make sure the blond was watching him, but he let it go and hurriedly put on the grey cloth trousers, which fortunately fit him better. Damn it, he was really too shy. It didn't work that way. Perhaps he should take a model from past-Harry and take the offensive. <em>Stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking…</em></p><p>Having finished changing, Harry lifted his head, looked at Draco in the mirror and was pleased to see him looking at him, toothbrush in hand, mouth slightly open in surprise. And was that a soft pink gleam on Draco's cheeks? Yes, it was. Draco wasn't as steadfast as he always pretended to be. The grey eyes were burning with desire and he seemed to channel all his strength not to move now. Hell, maybe Harry should take this as a sign to withdraw and stop pressuring Draco, but Harry took his “stop-thinking” plan to heart instead.</p><p>With quick steps Harry rushed straight for Draco, feeling his heart beating hard against his chest and his breath getting shallower. Only a few inches away Harry stopped next to Draco who turned his head in perplexity. With a cheeky smile on his lips, Harry grabbed Draco's toothbrush and before he could protest, he put it in his mouth. <em>Payback for the apple, you pervert!</em></p><p>Draco's expression changed from perplexed to confused and then to smugly grinning within seconds. Harry didn't let it bother him, brushed provisionally over his teeth for half a minute, then spat toothpaste out and wiped the remains from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand before he pressed the toothbrush back into Draco's hand. He had never dared so much self-confidence, but here he was. Even though he had to fight red cheeks with all his might.</p><p>“I'll wait in your bed,” Harry said firmly, turned on his heel, ignored Draco's protest and left the bathroom with big steps. As soon as he closed the bathroom door behind him Harry leaned against it for a moment. Something in Harry's stomach area danced the samba while Harry's mind and heart had a heated discussion about the assessment of what had just happened. Oh hell, he was moving on wafer-thin ice.</p><p>The Slytherin Dormitory lay dark in front of him, he could hear the quiet breaths and soft snoring of the others but paid them no attention. Greenish light fell through the round windows of the dormitory, every now and then a shadow was cast over it. The lake didn’t sleep at night.</p><p>Draco's bed was quickly located, it was the only one that was still unused. The wide canopy bed was very similar to Harry's own. Only, of course, everything was in the Slytherin house colours and not in scarlet red, as with the Gryffindors. Worried that someone would wake up after all, Harry hurriedly climbed into Draco's bed and closed the curtains. Cross-legged, he remained in the darkness and hardly dared to breathe. It smelled a little like lavender, which made Harry sigh happily. He liked the smell of Draco.</p><p>Slowly Harry let himself sink backwards. The fact that Draco's bedlinen was made of silk didn’t surprise him at all, but he himself had never slept in silk. The cool fabric felt good against his skin. Harry squinted his eyes, what was happening here? He was in Draco's bed, and now? The Slytherin had made it clear that they wouldn’t shag anytime soon. So would they just sleep? Maybe. The thought didn't appeal to Harry's prick, but Harry's mind couldn't care less.</p><p>
  <em>“Muffliato!”</em>
</p><p>Harry opened his eyes when he heard Draco's soft voice. Not half a second later a curtain was pushed aside a little and Draco appeared. Without looking at Harry, Draco climbed onto his bed and closed the curtain again. It was too dark to see anything clearly, so Harry concentrated on his other senses. The movement of the mattress suggested that Draco was making himself comfortable next to him, the blanket was lifted a little and Harry clearly felt a leg brush against his while Draco put the blanket over him.</p><p>Then nothing moved anymore, only Draco's calm breath could be heard. Harry's heart was pounding so loud, he was afraid Draco could hear it. But he stayed lying there, staring into the darkness and was absolutely sure that he wouldn't be able to sleep at all. He could literally feel Draco's body heat, if he would move just a little bit, he could even touch him. But did Draco even want this? Small flirtations or not, to bring this on a physical level was something else. And Harry wasn't even thinking about sex, just kisses and their intertwined fingers.</p><p>If Draco didn't want that, then why had he cast the Silence Charm over the bed? Why did he let Harry in his bed? Why did he keep looking at him with that lascivious look? All because of that curse? Merlin, why couldn't this be easier? Harry felt as if he was fourteen again and confused as to whether he found Cedric or Cho more attractive.</p><p>“You are not the reason I have made my decision,” it came, barely louder than a whisper, from Draco, who seemed to be closer to Harry than he had suspected. And with his face turned towards him, he noticed it clearly, through the warm breath he felt on his shoulder.</p><p>“What is it then?" Harry asked, who wanted to believe Draco but couldn't. What was bad enough that one would prefer a life in damp darkness? In damp and lonely darkness, mind you.</p><p>Draco didn't answer right away, instead, the silk blanket rustled a little and Harry suddenly felt two fingers on his stomach, circling on the fabric, that separated them from a direct touch. Harry breathed hectically and tensed his muscles a bit, but Draco didn't stop circling and slowly but surely, a feeling of goosebumps spread over Harry's whole body.</p><p>“I wanted nothing more in my life than freedom. By my fate, I was denied it for too long. The curse additionally suppressed this desire, even after the downfall of the Dark Lord,” Draco began to speak tenderly, continuing the circles. Harry was silent, trying hard to focus on Draco's words and not his touch. “Holding on to the hope that the curse could be broken after all, I didn’t think about the inevitable. The saviour sounded only like fiction to me, I saw no value in losing even a thought about him. I can only emphasize again and again that I never believed in fairy tales and he was the definition of a fairy tale. A knight in shining armour who saves me from my fate? Ridiculous! But then you came.”</p><p>How Harry's heart managed to beat even harder was a mystery to him, but it happened. It remained to be seen how this explanation would lead to the conclusion that Harry was not the guilty party for Draco's decision. God, how much he wanted to hold Draco in his arms, beg him to think about it again and breathe in his scent. But he lay motionless and remained silent.</p><p>“There is only one curse that I consider worse than being tied to the ocean for a lifetime. And that is the curse of eternal unrequited love.” In Draco's voice was vulnerability, so honest that Harry couldn't help but take Draco's hand into his own on his stomach.</p><p>“You don't know what will happen," he pointed out. He could understand Draco's reason. It was Draco who, through his curse and losing his virginity, would make the eternal pact of love with Harry, and not the other way around. Yes, Harry was interested in Draco, but eternal love? After the few days, it was impossible to know how long exactly this would last. Even though Harry would’ve loved to say from the present perspective that he was just about to fall in love with Draco, if he remained rational, he didn’t know. It was too soon, not only for him but for Draco as well. The risk was high, neither of them knew what it would be like in a few years or even months.</p><p>“Neither do you,” Draco replied calmly. Harry wanted to assure Draco here and now, even swear that he wouldn’t stop having feelings for him, that he didn’t have to fear future unrequited love, but he couldn’t. It would’ve been a lie. Draco was right. Neither of them knew what the future would bring.</p><p>“Don't tell me Draco Malfoy thinks his charm isn't enough to spellbound Harry Potter a little longer,” Harry tried a joke, but he didn't laugh, and neither did Draco. The conversation felt so heavy, so final.</p><p>“In a strange way, I like you, Harry. But I don't want to live shackled to one person all my life.”</p><p>Draco's words broke the dam in Harry, which had kept his confusing emotions in check until just now. Draco liked him. His interest was not only evoked by a curse. The decision was nothing personal, even Harry's mind recognized that. Was it selfish of Harry to rejoice in this instead of continuing to do justice to the seriousness of the situation? Probably, but Harry couldn’t resist the feelings of happiness that were spreading inside him.</p><p>“Consider what the curse of unrequited love has done to Snape.”</p><p>But Harry didn't even listen to Draco properly anymore, instead, he turned in the direction from where he could hear Draco's voice, felt for something in the darkness until he got hold of silky hair, found Draco's neck immediately and bent forward. The kiss was uncoordinated and somehow Harry didn't really get it right either, due to his lack of vision, but none of that mattered.</p><p>There was nothing more important than kissing Draco, feeling his lips on his own, forgetting everything else and surrendering to the feeling of happiness. Draco replied the kiss tentatively at first but soon decided that timidity did not suit the situation. So they deepened their kisses, Draco's tongue greeted Harrys with a naturalness as if they had done this a thousand times before. Then Draco broke from the kiss and Harry gasped in protest.</p><p>But Harry soon realized why Draco had broken away. Determined, he turned under the silk blanket until he sat on Harry's lap. Merlin, the snake tried to kill Harry! Continuing to sit on Harry's lap, Draco bent forward again to press his lips demanding onto Harry's. He gratefully accepted the offer, while trying not to think about the sweet friction in his lap, which made all his blood boil.</p><p>“Do you believe me, Harry?” Draco asked into the kiss, but Harry forgot that he was supposed to answer. Instead, he grabbed Draco's hip to pull him even closer to himself, no blade should fit between them anymore, only Draco's body against his and the wet lips on his own. It's all Harry wanted.</p><p>A soft groan from Draco, made him forget what was within the scope of the tactful and he reached between himself and Draco, looking for a certain waistband of pants into which he wanted to let his hand slide. Draco, who seemed to see through his plan, stopped him without further ado and put Harry's hand, which had gone astray, back on his hip. A little disappointed Harry sighed into the kiss.</p><p>“I can prove to you that it's not you, if you want me to,” Draco muttered, breaking away from the kiss, and if it had been bright enough, he would probably have looked Harry in the eye questioningly.</p><p>Harry's grey matter was in full swing. Was that an offer to…? To what exactly? He dared to doubt that Draco would suddenly give in and surrender to Harry, so what was the alternative? But the offer sounded tempting, no matter the outcome, maybe he should think less and nod more!</p><p>And so Harry did. It was foolish because it was too dark for his nod to be seen. Harry thought of it rather late, and only because Draco hadn't kissed him for a few seconds too long. “Yeah,” he said, trying to sound determined and not nervous. He failed.</p><p>Draco's lips on his made him forget if it mattered what Draco thought about him. Freed from doubt, Harry allowed Draco to continue his kisses down his neck. If all the blood hadn’t already flowed into certain regions, he would be as hard as stone by now at the latest. Merlin and that was Draco's erection on his, how the hell could one endure so much sexual tension?</p><p>Draco took pity on Harry, lowered his kisses more briskly down Harry's neck, pushed the tight t-shirt up a bit and continued his kisses and licks on Harry's stomach. Oh God, this was sheer madness and in no way good! Yes, it was! It was perfect! <em>Further down, just a little further, come oooon</em>, begged Harry inwardly, that he was still able to think clear sentences was a pure miracle.</p><p>And Draco complied with the unspoken request, slid off Harry's lap, pulled down the loose trousers a bit, for which Harry willingly lifted his bottom, and then Harry felt the cool air around his prick. At that moment he was godly glad that it was so dark behind the curtains, otherwise, Draco wouldn’t only have been able to look at his pride, but he would also have seen how red Harry's face turned. <em>Merlin, please do something</em>, asked Harry in silence when nothing was moving, but then he felt warm breath, long fingers closing around him and something moist that wrapped around his tip.</p><p><em>Fuck, fuck, fuck!</em> That was, <em>f</em><em>uck</em>, absolute madness and,<em> fuck</em>, Harry had to make an effort, <em>fuck</em>, not to come at the same moment, <em>fuck</em>, out of sheer ecstasy. Did Draco even realize what he was doing to Harry? If not, Harry gave him a taste by groaning loudly and uninhibitedly once as Draco took his prick even deeper into his moist, warm mouth and slipped his tongue over his tip.</p><p>Harry clung to the silk blanket that lay somewhere beside them, only to resist the urge to grab Draco and touch every inch of his body. But the feeling between his legs definitely provided a skilful distraction and wiped every thought from Harry's mind. He could only feel the heat boiling in his body, the lust that lashed through his veins and would’ve made him go blind if he hadn't already been blind anyway.</p><p>“Don't stop," Harry pleaded, losing all sense of reality as Draco's movements increased in intensity and pleasure built up more and more in his loins. <em>In a moment, just one more mome</em>- Harry couldn't even finish the sentence in his head. He saw stars dancing in front of him, his body tensed up and let itself go again as he came in Draco's mouth.</p><p>Gasping for breath, eyes closed and feeling the light film of sweat on his forehead and upper lip, Harry groped for Draco and caught cool fingers that had lingered on his thigh. Draco returned the slight pressure on Harry's hand, then moved, crawling back up his bed to Harry's eye level, while pulling the blanket back over them. On Harry's thigh, he clearly felt Draco's erection craving for attention.</p><p>“Nothing has changed, you still taste bitter,” whispered Draco, close to Harry's collarbone, who laughed almost hysterically, but instead wrapped his arms around Draco to pull him closer and give him a kiss on the blond hair.</p><p>One question was on the tip of his tongue, even if he felt terribly silly to even think about it. “And… erm, do you like bitter?” Merlin, how could one sound so <em>insecure</em>?</p><p>A faint laugh from Draco indicated that the question was probably as silly as Harry thought it was. “Of course, Harry. Of course,” Draco replied anyway, even though it was lost in an extensive yawn.</p><p>Harry bit his lip thoughtfully. Okay, now he could take that worry off his list, but something else distracted him much more. Draco's erection on his thigh, which made him almost horny again. Without thinking, Harry's hand slid down Draco's stomach. There was nothing to it, right? It was just a little act of gratitude for what Draco did.</p><p>“Stop that now, Potter!" Draco growled as Harry's hand reached Draco's waistband and asked to be let in. With a sigh, Harry took his hand away and ran it through Draco's hair instead. He knew that this was nothing personal, yet it was a shame that he wouldn’t see Draco in pure ecstasy.</p><p>But before Harry could think about it for too long, a peaceful sleep lay over him and Draco. Tomorrow he would have enough time to think about this night and what it meant. For now, he only enjoyed feeling Draco in his arms as he slowly drifted into the land of dreams.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Mask of Painful Happiness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Never, not even in his wildest dreams, could Harry have imagined a dying Draco Malfoy. And by that, he didn’t mean the classic dying process where he had to watch him bleed to death or something similar. No, this dying was different. It was more like the dark mark on Draco's forearm, which slowly but surely withered and faded. It was like a hope that was extinguished in the bud and had no chance to blossom.</p><p>But no grief, no sorrow emanated from the Slytherin. As if he had come to terms completely with the fact that his life was almost over. Or maybe it was like the last glimmer of pure happiness and joy before the curse carried him away and didn't bring him back. Harry had already heard about this phenomenon. Old or ill people who were taken by the hand of life shortly before their death and were allowed a few days of happiness before they collapsed like a lifeless shell and left life behind for good.</p><p>It was tragic to see Draco grinning happily as if he was suddenly a different person. How loving he became, how much he let himself go, and it was all thanks to his lost hope. It was painful because he showed a side of himself that had lived hidden within him for so long and only appeared in the face of his human death. It was understandable, nobody liked to show their deepest inner being to the whole world, not even Draco. But he threw this principle out the window with the prospect of an imminent end and dropped the cold mask, only to put on a mask of happiness. Even in his last moments, Draco was unable to show his true feelings, the chance for unconditional honesty he was denied.</p><p>Harry dropped his head, which was so incredibly heavy with thoughts, against a shelf behind him. It was the late afternoon of the next day and he was sitting in the Library, patiently waiting for the person with whom he was to meet at any moment. But his date was delayed, so Harry reconsidered and pulled a wrinkled envelope out of his jeans to finally read it.</p><p>~~~</p><p>
  <em>Eight hours earlier…</em>
</p><p>“If you still want breakfast, you have to get up now, Draco!”</p><p>“Oh, leave him alone, Theo. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink! You coming, Greg?”</p><p>A consenting murmur, footsteps that moved through the room and a door that fell into the lock with a loud crash. Then it was quiet. Only the soft splashing of the Great Lake outside the windows of the Slytherin Dormitory broke the silence. And the regular breaths right next to Harry's ear, which reminded him where he was and what had happened the previous night.</p><p>Harry's heart pounded faster at the thought of it and he tried hard to think of extremely boring lessons to get his blood flowing back in the right direction. <em>Goblin riots, giant wars, Prof. Binns…</em> It worked and Harry even dared to open his eyes, but not before he yawned extensively.</p><p>The dark green curtains of the canopy bed were still closed, but due to the brightness that had to prevail in the dormitory by now, much more light came through the thick fabric than at night. So Harry was able, albeit indistinctly, to catch a glimpse of Draco, who still seemed to be sleeping peacefully in his arms. Harry quickly groped with his free arm for his glasses and found them under the pillow.</p><p>Now that his eyesight was average again, he let a much longer glance glide over the blond. He was indeed still asleep, only covered up to his waist, and in his sleep his shirt had slipped up, exposing a strip of bare skin. With one swallow, Harry continued his examination. Draco lay half on top of him, one leg over Harry's thigh and his head against Harry's shoulder. His mouth was a little bit open; Harry was extremely amused to discover that Draco had drooled a little bit in his sleep. Harry already imagined telling Ron but then Draco would probably kill him, so he decided to abandon that idea.</p><p>Gently, Harry began to run his hand through Draco's silky and a little tousled hair, while he watched attentively as Draco's eyelids began to flutter. The mermaid-no- Draco had woken up. Harry couldn't have wavered his grin off his face, not at the sight of this! Even though he felt terribly selfish. It was Wednesday morning. Draco's birthday was already this Saturday. But Harry didn't think of that just now, instead, he leaned over to Draco and caught his lips in a short but beautiful kiss.</p><p>As soon as they broke apart, Draco lifted his head and looked around a little disorientated. Merlin, was there anything more beautiful than the sight of a sleepy Draco? Probably not. Harry liked the contrast to the otherwise so composed and spruced Draco. It gave him the feeling of knowing Draco more intimately than most others.</p><p>“Good morning!” Harry greeted the Slytherin a little too cheerfully, but he had been awake a few moments longer than Draco. Draco moaned softly and dropped his forehead against Harry's shoulder. “You drool in your sleep," Harry informed him happily.</p><p>“A lovely morning to you too," muttered Draco, who raised his head again to look at Harry. “And your breath smells terrible!”</p><p>Harry laughed softly as he watched Draco wipe the back of his hand over the corner of his mouth and then over the small damp spot on Harry's, or rather Draco's, T-shirt. “Sounds like a good combination," Harry said with a smile, reaping an eye roll from Draco and another kiss that was far too short for Harry's taste.</p><p>After just lying relaxed with Draco in his arms for a moment, Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. “Me being your saviour… does that mean you're trying to seduce me? So, uh,<em> just</em> me?" Oh, God, what a shameful attempt to find out more about this curse.</p><p>Draco looked at Harry thoughtfully, then nodded slowly. “In the very beginning, when I didn't know what role you played, I assumed that my body would react to everyone in this way to protect me from the curse. You were the only one I saw when I was in my mer-creature form, so at that point, it was the only plausible explanation why I see you in <em>that</em> way… But then came Weasley and Granger.” Harry wasn't sure how to deal with the answer. On the one hand, he was tempted to ask if Draco was only interested in him because he was his saviour, but on the other hand, he already suspected that Draco couldn’t know the answer to that question. Either way, it didn't make Harry feel any better.</p><p>“You didn't want to seduce Hermione and Ron, but they tried to seduce you! They were completely devoted to you!" Harry noted and watched Draco's fingers as they began to gently stroke his own hand.</p><p>“Somehow, nature has to make sure that I am fed," replied Draco, who also kept his eyes on their fingers.</p><p>Startled, Harry looked at the blond. “Your charm is supposed to feed you? Does that mean you'd-”</p><p>But Draco cut him off “Calm down. I don’t actually feel the need to eat them, I prefer to leave that to the born waterspirits. I'm getting more of a murderous urge instead.” Harry swallowed and an uneasy feeling came over him. “As disgusting as it sounds, that's normal for the cursed. I can't resist it, just try to ignore it as long as I can. These desires are deeply rooted in the nature of the waterspirits and are part of the curse. I can still fight them, but it gets harder the closer my birthday comes.”</p><p>Harry closed his eyes and exhaled once falteringly. It sounded terrible. Had he been aware of the extent of the curse, he might have been more careful from the beginning. “It sounds as if you're turning more and more into a waterspirit," Harry thought aloud and rubbed Draco's wrist with his thumb without looking.</p><p>“Well, I am increasingly subject to their needs and instincts. At the same time, however, everything in me resists. That’s why…” Draco paused and Harry opened his eyes to look at him.</p><p>“That's why you thrust yourself upon me. So we can fulfil the condition and you can be free of this curse.” Harry hit the mark, even though Draco's lips were drawn and he looked as if he would like to add that he’d still be under a curse, even if it was a different one.</p><p>He thought better of it. “Classy, Potter. You might want to ask yourself why you allow this to happen and even respond. The only need you should feel is the want to save me, no more, no less.”</p><p>Harry didn’t answer, looked at their fingers and cursed his shyness instead. Draco hadn't sounded accusatory, just challenging. The truth in the Slytherin's statement was frightening and only the knowledge that Draco obviously didn't mind, otherwise they wouldn't be here, reassured him a bit for now.</p><p>As if struck by lightning, Draco suddenly got up. “Oh, bloody fuck! We're missing breakfast! Get cracking, I’m not one to let my lovers starve!”</p><p>Lover? Harry didn’t mind that title at all, so he followed Draco's request without any objection.</p><p>~</p><p>Twenty minutes later Harry found himself in the clothes from the day before, with freshly brushed teeth and hair in a catastrophic state in front of the open entrance door of the Great Hall. With Draco at his side, who had put on his school uniform, but this time he was unable to lend Harry one of his own. Unless Harry had plans to play a Slytherin for a day and Harry could really do without that.</p><p>The two of them were indeed late, the hall was already emptying, with a few other stragglers hurrying past them. But not without giving them a curious glance. That Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had left Hogwarts through the Main Gate last night, hand in hand, had, of course, spread like wildfire among the students. The fact that the two of them now entered the Great Hall together and Harry hadn’t changed his clothes made it clear.</p><p>Ignoring the whispering, murmuring and giggling, Harry turned briefly to Draco before their paths would part. There was a mischievous smile on Draco's lips, which surprised Harry a little. But he didn't complain, as long as Draco didn't mind the looks and comments of the others, neither would Harry.</p><p>“Can you hear the rumours spreading yet?" Draco hummed, turned in Harry's direction, but so softly that only Harry could hear it.</p><p>Harry grimaced, but then nodded. He had to make a noticeable effort not to blush, unlike Draco he didn’t enjoy the bustle in any way. It was unpleasant at best and he didn't want to know what his friends thought about all the speculations. Where were Ron and Hermione anyway? Should Harry just leave now? Oh, Merlin, he still had to think of a proper farewell. And fast!</p><p>“There's the possibility of putting on a little show for them,” muttered Draco conspiratorially as he adjusted Harry's shirt collar a little.</p><p>Harry instantly felt goosebumps as Draco's fingers brushed his neck, yet he pushed Draco's hand from his shirt collar back to the blond man’s body “I'll pass.”</p><p>Draco's smile only widened before he bit his lip and shrugged. “Too bad. See you later, Harry.” And with that, Draco turned on his heel and disappeared towards the Slytherin table.</p><p>What the hell was that? Since when did Draco give up subtlety? Why did he take Harry's only strength and trumped him in a single breath? The boy just knew he was a ten and that made it even more difficult not to get burned by this.</p><p>Before Harry could put down roots, while looking silly, he remembered where he was and, careful to avoid all glances, went to his two best friends at the Gryffindor table, where he was eagerly awaited. For Harry's sake, the two of them had sat down a bit away from the other students and bombarded him with questioning glances as soon as he sat down opposite them. Only now Harry noticed that he was really hungry and immediately started to load his plate with food.</p><p>Because nobody said anything, Harry started to eat right away, only when he lifted his eyes again did he notice that Ron and Hermione looked at him as if he had gone completely mad. “What?"</p><p>Ron pressed his lips together to stop himself laughing, but Hermione snorted, looked around briefly, probably careful not to be overheard, and then started to speak. “You seem hungry.”</p><p>Harry raised an eyebrow, but with a glance at Ron's plate, he realised that he wasn't the only one who needed to recharge energy. Ron and Hermione had certainly made full use of the empty dormitory, even if Harry didn't want to think about it. “Yes, I didn't have any dinner last night,” he explained, which caused Hermione to look doubtfully. Even Ron didn’t seem to believe him completely.</p><p>“Just talk straight, Harry. Did you have-?" Though Hermione wanted to speak straight, she simply left the question in the air without further elaboration.</p><p>But Harry knew what she wanted to know from him, even if the answer made his chest arch. “Of course not! Besides the fact that one doesn’t automatically shag just after the first date, he said he didn't want to sleep with me.” Ouch, that hurt even more when he had to say it out loud. To distract himself, Harry turned back to his fully loaded plate in front of him.</p><p>“Ah shit, mate," it came sympathetically from Ron until he suddenly opened his eyes in shock. “No, wait, extremely shit! Why, by Merlin's beard, not?" Harry's Best Friend had probably noticed that this wasn’t a simple <em>my-crush-won’t-do-the-shagging-thing-with-me-because-pleaseinsertvalidreasonhere</em>, but that the matter was much more profound. As profound as Draco's life was.</p><p>Harry sighed, his hunger slowly fading, thanks to the pain. “He says he doesn't want to end up like Snape and love someone eternally who doesn't love him back.” Harry wanted nothing more than to be unable to understand Draco's reason, then it would be easier to convince Draco of the opposite, but it wasn't made easy for him.</p><p>“Well, it's a reasonable argument," Ron remarked, but then he noticed the reproachful look of his girlfriend. “…I would have said, if the situation wasn’t so serious and jokes weren’t completely inappropriate," the redhead added in a hurry.</p><p>If the situation hadn't really been so serious, Harry would have laughed now, but instead, he set about eating his breakfast again. Of course, he wouldn't be able to just accept Draco's decision, but changing his mind wouldn’t be easy. Harry would have to work on a plan. Too bad he didn't have enough time to think about it.</p><p>~</p><p>The following Charms lessons turned out to be varied enough to distract Harry from his wandering thoughts for the time being. At least the first part of the lesson. Prof. Flitwick had them test different spell combinations. For example, the summoning spell combined with a warmth spell to keep the cup of tea warm, while it was floating towards the caster. Since he gave them enough freedom to try themselves first, it was all the more fun. Hermione was, of course, the first to get two spells perfectly combined, for which Flitwick gladly rewarded her with house points.</p><p>The second part was the theory of linking spells and since they had to sit at tables for this part and not, as in the practical part of the lesson, walk around freely in the room, Harry was already looking for a suitable sitting partner. Ron had secured the place next to Hermione faster than Harry could say “snitch” and had then grinned at him triumphantly. <em>Git.</em></p><p>Harry's wandering gaze fell on an empty chair at Draco's table, but he'd better put that out of his mind very quickly. That wouldn't help his concentration at all and anyway, Draco didn't need to know <em>how much</em> Harry longed for him. Despite his clearly averse thoughts, his legs set off on their own until it was too late and Harry settled down next to Draco without waiting for a word of consent.</p><p>Draco raised his head briefly; he was just about to write something on a parchment. Was he seriously taking notes? Was he aware of the fact that he wouldn’t have to write the final exams if the curse manifests? But Draco's slight smile made him forget to talk to him about it. How could one be so forbidden beautiful?</p><p>Flitwick began to explain the notes on the blackboard, but Harry just couldn't concentrate on the little wizard's words. From the corners of his eyes, he could see Draco finishing his notes, shifting uneasily around his chair and pressing a hand on his right forearm. Wait. Wasn't this the spot where the waterspirit had hurt him? Did the wound hurt again? In Harry's memory it had almost healed, so where did the sudden pain come from?</p><p>A single questioning glance from Harry was enough for Draco to stop any restless movement and just shake his head. His gaze had something tortured in it though and Harry slowly thought he knew what it was. Draco paid the toll for not transforming for too long. Draco had told Harry that the urge to transform himself could turn into physical pain and that's exactly what seemed to be happening. Even though the knowledge wasn’t of much use. He could hardly pour a bucket of water over Draco's head to force him to transform. Especially when he was actually working on getting him into bed.</p><p>A hand on Harry's knee caught his attention and made him startle in surprise. Draco sat a bit closer to him and his hand on Harry's knee didn't move either, just the slightly too fast breath close to his ear reminded him that Draco wasn't just trying to flirt with him, but that he was probably fighting an inner battle with his natural instincts. Well, his natural <em>mer-creature</em> instincts.</p><p>Harry gave Draco a quick glance, but he looked seemingly focused at Flitwick and even nodded now and then as if he was actually listening intently. Harry was just thinking about putting his hand on Draco's when he felt fingers moving along his leg. Slowly but surely towards his crotch.</p><p>With his breath held, Harry sat still, didn't move, just clenched his fingers into fists, hoping Draco wouldn't turn whatever he was about to do into reality. But a tiny part of him was already begging for Draco not to stop and this tiny part gained more and more power with every inch that Draco's fingers moved along his thigh.</p><p>“Draco," Harry hissed so quietly that only the Slytherin could really hear it, while he left his gaze pinned on Flitwick, just as Draco did. Actually, rather on the blackboard notes, because slowly this hand turned him on and that was enough reason not wanting to stare at his Charms Professor. Draco, however, didn’t stop and took the whisper of his name only as an incentive to move his hand even quicker. Harry had to make an effort not to gasp when Draco's fingers had reached their destination and wrapped around the slight bulge in his jeans.</p><p>Merlin, that wasn’t good. Not in class, not when everyone could see them, not here, not now! But Harry was unable to resist; the blood that was pumped to his centre was probably missing in his brain by now. Why he still managed to flush, made no sense.</p><p>Draco seemed to really get into this, as he was just about to tamper with Harry's jeans button at a pace that made it impossible for Harry to protest. But when he felt the long fingers slipping into his boxers he reacted. Quite hectically and unexpectedly, accidentally, more than on purpose, bumping his knee against the underside of the tabletop in front of them, drawing all attention to himself. Fortunately, Draco was just as quick and his hand was back on the tabletop as if nothing had ever happened, while Prof. Flitwick looked at them suspiciously.</p><p>Harry's face had probably taken on the colour of a tomato and he must have looked pretty rattled because Flitwick seemed almost worried. “Mr Potter, you look feverish!” he noted thoughtfully.</p><p>“A tragic case indeed, sir. Hypothermia from last night might be the reason. With respect, I'd better take Mr Potter to the hospital wing so Madam Pomfrey can give him a prophylactic potion.” Draco, that sneaky… genius! After Harry looked particularly suffering again, Flitwick gave in and sent the two of them to the hospital wing.</p><p>The way out of the classroom wasn't easy at all, with half an erection between his legs, but the jeans covered more than Harry would’ve expected. As soon as the door closed behind them, he grabbed the seductive fingers of the Slytherin and dragged him along the corridor. Where was one of those bloody broom cupboards when one needed it? Ah, there!</p><p>Without turning around to Draco, Harry tore open the door to the broom cupboard, which unfortunately looked rather dusty. Oh, well, he couldn't care less about the spiders. Harry barely managed to speak a <em>Lumos</em>, then he pulled Draco towards him and united their lips in a passionate kiss. Oh, how he had missed this feeling. How had he ever managed to detach his lips from Draco's?</p><p>Harry's body reacted with pure happiness, which chased through his veins and made him even hornier than he already was. Draco seemed to feel the same, he was trying to get as close as possible to Harry and buried his hands in Harry's hair. Their tongues picked up the familiar game, Harry felt the tingling on his skin and in his stomach and sighed with relish.</p><p>“Whatever you're doing, you've got to stop, or else I'll throw myself onto you in the middle of the class,” mumbled Harry into the kiss and wrapped his arms even tighter around Draco's waist. Harry felt the smile on Draco’s lips immediately, which reminded him of something and he unhappily broke away from Draco. “I can see that you're in pain, by the way. Maybe you should-“</p><p>“No. It subsides when we do this,” Draco interrupted him and pulled him back into a kiss. It was an amazingly exhilarating compliment, which Harry gladly accepted. He wanted to be the reason why Draco's pain eased and to know that was delightful. Was that reason enough to raise some hopes in Draco? Once again Harry sighed at Draco's lips, which fitted so perfectly and warmly to his.</p><p>“Where is this supposed to go? With your blatant flirtations…" Harry asked, barely parting from Draco's lips. A simple question that should direct Draco in the right direction. After all, the Slytherin made the attempts on his own. Well, a curse was increasingly pushing him to do so, but Harry only went along with it, meaning Draco actually <em>wanted</em> to do it too. Then why was it so hard to convince him?</p><p>“Flirtations? I don't quite follow," Draco replied. Merlin, how could a voice be so beautifully soft and speak such frustrating words?</p><p>Letting his frustration run free, Harry loosened his lips from Draco's, grabbed one of Draco's hands and pushed it to his crotch where his rock-hard erection was hard to ignore. “That's what you do to me with your <em>flirtations</em>!”</p><p>The accusation resonated in the statement, but Draco still wryly smirked and looked Harry straight in his green eyes. “If I'm at fault for this, I should at least offer to remedy it.”</p><p>Surprised, Harry frowned, but then Draco grabbed his crotch a little harder and Harry forgot why he was here. Resuming the passionate kiss, he pulled the Slytherin closer to him, at the same time fiddling with his jeans until he finally got them pulled from his stiff middle.</p><p>Draco's moans, as he grabbed the blond by the hip and pulled him closer, only spurred him on. Aimlessly he let one hand slide under Draco's waistband onto his butt and grabbed it bravely. How long had he imagined being able to do this? Since the enchanting sight that night, Draco's buttocks hadn’t left his thoughts and now he could finally touch it!</p><p>Liberated and detached, Harry perceived the movement of Draco's hip, which caused his own erection to press against Draco's, causing a feeling of goosebumps within him. That was sheer madness and he didn't know what to focus on. On the sweet butt, he was finally able to grab under his fingers, the unbelievable friction that already elicited the first drop of precum or the wet kiss that had become downright animalistic by now.</p><p>Draco was the one who took the decision away from Harry by suddenly breaking away from Harry, taking a small step back, pulling down Harry's boxers and closing his fingers around Harry's naked cock. At first, Harry wanted to protest, to pull Draco back to himself, but as the movement quickened, the train of thought drowned in a moan and he let his head fall back.</p><p>For someone who claimed to have no sexual experience whatsoever, Draco was pretty confident and admittedly damn good. Far too quickly, Harry felt his desire gathering in his loins. He was just able to pull Draco into a kiss before he let the orgasm roll over him with a rumbling moan.</p><p>Draco gave Harry no opportunity to collect himself, kissed him again eagerly, then broke away, stammered with red cheeks something about a late afternoon meeting in the library, then he had already disappeared.</p><p>While the black-haired man with trembling hands put his trousers back in place, he just managed to think about how much he wished he could touch Draco. Truly, without holding back. Then he wouldn't blame himself so much that Draco apparently didn't allow himself an orgasm with Harry. At the same time, Harry admonished himself that his selfishness had taken on immense proportions and he urgently needed to think about a plan to change Draco's mind.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Still leaning his head against the shelf, Harry, lost in thought, continued to pull the letter from Bill Weasley out of his envelope and began to unfold it. The fact that Draco ran late, even though he had suggested the meeting, was really just typical. Harry had listened to a whole lecture from Hermione about how he couldn't just skip the last class because the final exams wouldn't take into account his current situation. But Harry was old enough to decide for himself whether he wanted to listen to Hermione or not, so he didn't listen to her.</p><p>With a sigh, Harry finally devoted himself to the small piece of parchment. He had postponed reading the letter for fear that Bill would tell him that he hadn’t been able to find a solution for him, but there was no way around the truth. Perhaps Harry should have more confidence in Bill, after all, he had worked as a curse breaker in Egypt for several years and had only returned to fight against Voldemort's rise as a member of the Order. Ron was right, if anyone could help them, it was Bill. With a little more hope in his heart, Harry began to read.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Harry, </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I am pleased to hear from you and that you seem to be looking at possible exam material in depth! Ron told me about the curse you came across and I was genuinely surprised that it hasn't been forgotten yet. My knowledge about this is incomplete and through my work rather limited to the curse-breaking part of it, but for the exams in History of Magic it should be enough: The blood curse of the waterspirits, colloquially also known as “the curse of the sea”, was one of the greatest disasters for pure-blood families in its time, because one didn’t want to promote the spread any further, but still wanted to guarantee the blood purity of the family. In the end, most of the witches and wizards who were affected by the curse died, which is why it has been increasingly forgotten. It has, however, been passed on unnoticed from generation to generation and still comes to light today, albeit rarely. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>As far as I can remember, there was no curse-breaking spell to help those affected for a long time, the waterspirits did a great job in their revenge. Which means that the majority of the cursed have kept to their saviour and have thus broken the curse. But there were also quite a few wizards and witches who didn’t want to tie their love to one person. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>In Egypt, I met a curse-breaker who was specialized in blood curses and who often had to struggle with this kind of curse. He told me about a case where a wizard chose to take his own life because he didn't want to live bound to the ocean but also didn't want to involve his saviour, an old friend of his family who couldn't stand him to death. A tragic case with no good end, but said curse-breaker learned while working on the case that there is indeed another way to break the curse once and for all. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>If two cursed lose their virginity to each other, the spell is broken and they aren’t bound to love each other. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>This was of course only a theory of the curse-breaker, who could never test it in practice since he has not been assigned such a case since. Besides, how often does it happen that the saviour of the cursed happens to be of cursed blood as well? </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Of course, there would be the possibility to be cursed as a saviour, but for that one would need the blood of the cursed and a waterspirit, which, as you probably already know, have been almost completely exterminated. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the theory can actually be put into practice. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Regardless, the curse has always been very dangerous for both the cursed and the saviour. The cursed man's urge to surrender to his saviour and the saviour’s need to help the cursed man was usually infused with resentment. After the fulfilment of the condition, not little time usually passed until the saviour took advantage of the weakness of the person bound to them and began to harm them. Since the formerly cursed man couldn’t defend himself through his eternal love, witches and wizards fell into a death-defying state in rows. To this day, this phenomenon persists and makes it difficult for those involved to trust each other. </em>
  <br/>
  <em>I hope I could help you and wish you good luck on your final exams, </em>
  <br/>
  <em>Bill</em>
</p><p>With a pounding heart, Harry looked up from the piece of parchment and suddenly felt even more overloaded with emotions than before. Did it mean what he thought it meant? If Harry was cursed with the same curse as Draco and they fulfilled the condition, Draco was free? Well, Bill had certainly remarked that it was only a theory, but the curse-breaker in question had undoubtedly given it enough thought.</p><p>This was the best news in a long time and it would be madness not to try. In his mind, Harry saw Hermione in front of him, telling him he was mental because he was putting himself headfirst in a danger he really didn't have to take on. After all, he had already offered Draco to fulfil the condition, he was willing to sleep with Draco. Draco <em>had</em> the chance for a life on land, he just didn't <em>want</em> it. Yes, there was a risk that Harry might one day fall in love with someone else, but the risk that the theory of the curse-breaker wouldn’t work and Harry would turn into a sea monster on his nineteenth birthday was at least as high, if not higher.</p><p>But Harry couldn't just let Draco go, that was completely out of the question and even if everyone would think he was insane, he had to put his trust in this theory. He couldn't think of anything better, so now all that was missing was Draco and his blood. Then he was practically already on the way to the Great Lake. He could only hope that the waterspirit wouldn’t again demand something in return.</p><p>“What a pleasant surprise! My honourable saviour skipped his last class against all expectations. Granger will tremble with rage!“</p><p>Surprised, Harry lifted his head only to see Draco, who came strolling towards him with an enchanting smile on his lips and, barely having reached him, crouched down in front of him. Despite the smile, Harry could literally feel Draco's pain. Whether this was physical or mental pain was irrelevant in the end, because the medicine was the same. Draco's lips found Harry's, even if it was only for a split second, then Draco sat down cross-legged in front of Harry and interlocked their fingers. The painful expression in the blond man's eyes cleared somewhat.</p><p>“Aren't you worried about your aloof image? Mr Ice-block himself is whispering sweet nothings! And this with his former nemesis! Where does this change of heart come from?” Harry scoffed, with a slight, somewhat reserved smile on his lips.</p><p>Draco grimaced insulted. “I never said I didn't want you.”</p><p>This time, Harry laughed, though there was still something heavy on his heart. “Oh, of course. <em>'Bugger off, Potter!'</em> or <em>‘You're blocking the sun, Potter!</em>’ are just the classic pick-up lines of modern times!"</p><p>Draco rolled his eyes but leaned forward and let his forehead drop against Harry's shoulder where he remained. Harry just hoped silently Draco didn't hear his heart pounding so loudly. “You<em> were</em> a nuisance. You're lucky to have also your advantages.”</p><p>Harry twisted his mouth into a smile, even if it didn't reach his eyes. He didn't want to have this time pressure, he didn't want to have to choose between one risk or the other, he didn't want to have to see Draco go, he didn't want to have to convince him to do something he didn't want to do, but he had no choice. His heart would never forgive him if he gave up now. His mind and his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> even shared his opinion once in this case, so Harry sighed, stroked over Draco's head, gave a curious-looking classmate an angry look, and thought about how to tell Draco about the following.</p><p>Scratching up all his courage, Harry took a deep breath. “So, Uhm, Draco, what if there was another way out for you.” Merlin, how could a heart beat so fast and why was he so nervous in the first place? Maybe he feared the possible <em>no</em> of Draco more than he wanted to admit.</p><p>Draco raised his head, straightened up, ran a finger gently down Harry's cheek while he looked at him with a mild smile. A sight that made Harry's heart bleed. “Optimism looks seductively good on you," Draco whispered before he placed his lips on Harry's again, and this time longer, not caring if anyone was watching them or not. In Harry's stomach area the snitches flew while his brain forgot what its function was.</p><p>Breathing shallowly, Harry broke away from the kiss by pushing Draco away a little, this wasn't the direction he wanted this to go, but Draco was too good to teach him otherwise .“For someone who thinks unrequited love is the worst curse, you don't make it exactly easy for me!"</p><p>Draco, who continued to stroke Harry's cheek, smiled slightly. “You'll get over me, Harry. It will torture you and the pain will pass only slowly, but you will succeed.” If Harry hadn't recognized the hurt undertone in Draco's voice, he would’ve assumed Draco was joking. “And if your longing devours you, you can pay me a visit and let yourself be beaten in a swimming race."</p><p>Draco knew as well as Harry that wasn't possible. With the manifestation of the curse the condition would disappear, Harry would be powerlessly at the mercy of Draco's charm and Draco would probably try to kill him, inferior to his sea creature instincts. A normal meeting would be completely impossible under these circumstances. Apart from the fact that this wouldn’t be a long-term solution, it would only cause more pain for both of them to see themselves like this</p><p>“But I don't want to visit you, I don't want you to leave at all, understand? And I mean it! There's another way out. Ron wrote to his brother Bill and this letter came back.” With these words, Harry unfolded the piece of parchment once more and handed it to Draco, who had meanwhile let go of Harry and received the letter with a frown.</p><p>Harry's nervousness rose, his palms became sweaty, his heart was pounding, once again, faster and he became a little dizzy while watching Draco read the letter with concentration. Draco just had to say <em>yes</em>. That was <em>the</em> solution. Just what Draco had wanted. There was nothing more perfect for him. He would get his freedom, that was what he wanted!</p><p>Slowly, Draco lowered the parchment, then looked at Harry with dull eyes that reflected all his hidden pain. “No.“</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Longing for Utopia</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aghast Harry looked into grey eyes and didn’t know what to say now, let alone what to do.<em> No</em>? Was that all he got? Just a final <em>no</em> that threatened to break his heart? Slowly he opened his mouth but closed it again because he still couldn't think of a suitable answer. And things like “<em>You've lost your mind!"</em> or “<em>Apparently you just want to die!"</em> were overdoing it.</p><p>Draco withstood Harry's uncomprehending gaze, even though he looked as if he would rather look away. Why <em>the hell</em> did Draco turn down this offer? It was the best thing that had happened to them until now, so <em>why</em>? Maybe Draco really was insane. But hadn't he said that his body would long for the curse to be broken? What kind of willpower did Draco actually possess that he managed to resist like this? Harry wouldn't have been able to do that for sure, he didn't even manage to resist Draco, even if he probably should have done so. After all, he was about to rip his heart out.</p><p>Merlin, it couldn't go on like this. He shouldn't have asked Draco in the first place, he should have just taken the blood from him in secret. It wasn't classy, but he couldn’t care less right now. “Yes,” he replied flatly.</p><p>“This is pure lunacy! Did you even read this letter? It's nothing more than a theory, this is about your <em>life</em>, Harry, you can't treat it with this naive recklessness!" Draco retorted, sounding remarkably determined.</p><p>Harry snorted indignantly. “Oh, so now it's suddenly about <em>my</em> life? <em>Surprise,</em> Draco, but this is about <em>your</em> life too. And you're about to just throw it away!"</p><p>Clearly frustrated, Draco ran his fingers through his hair and fixed an undefined point behind Harry to collect his thoughts. “You have to try to <em>understand</em> that it's not that simple. I was born with this curse, all my life I've been able to prepare for this day, what you're about to do is a mere displacement act. You'd be risking <em>everything</em>.”</p><p>Harry kept staring at Draco. Was he right? Possibly. But he was surprisingly indifferent to that. He had taken a lot of risks in his life, one more or less didn’t make a difference at all. He should have died many times before and once he even did. Somehow at least, so he was a little more relaxed when it came to his possible death.</p><p>Draco, who by now was looking at Harry again, seemed to know exactly what was going on inside him, for he shook his head in bewilderment. “Please tell me you care. I know you're not the type to think everything through, but even you should realize that the idea is dreadful.”</p><p>The idea wasn’t <em>dreadful</em>, Draco was simply pessimistic, Harry was sure of that. And slowly, he was getting annoyed too; instead of just being grateful to Harry, he was, once again, willfully obstructive. “You know, maybe I'm not the one thinking too little! Maybe you're just an uncooperative mermaiden!" Shit, that was his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> that spoke out of him and that clearly panicked.</p><p>Judging by Draco's reaction, he liked the nickname even less than <em>Little Mermaid</em>, because the blush of anger rose in his face while the right side of his upper lip twitched ominously. “I’m trying to save your bloody life and you dare to call me uncooperative? Classy, Potter!"</p><p>So now they were back to last names, but Harry could live with that. “What <em>the fuck</em> do you think I've been trying to do all this time? A little advice: It's not watering flowers!” Harry replied angrily. He knew that they were both at a dead end, but he was too frustrated to think about it.</p><p>“There's a difference between throwing yourself in front of a moving train and riding a train headed for a precipice!" Draco indicated as he unconsciously began to press a hand on his right forearm. Why did that git have to be in pain right now? It was much easier for Harry to argue with people who were not physically hurt by it.</p><p>Looking at the spot where Draco's wound must be, Harry sighed. Winning the argument would cost a lot, maybe he should just drop it. “You act like I have nothing to do with this, but ever since we found out I'm your bloody saviour, I'm more involved than you might like me to be.”</p><p>Draco closed his eyes for a moment, looking like he was in agony, then he sighed and shook his head. “I absolve you of any guilt if that should help you, but I cannot discuss this any further with you. Not now.” With that Draco rose, his hand still pressed on his forearm.</p><p>Harry was quicker on his feet than ever before and grabbed Draco's wrist. “You can't just leave now! Let's talk about it again, I'm sure we can find a compromise!"</p><p>Draco gave him one last obscure look. “I beg you, don't look for me. Just give me this one night.” Then Draco freed his wrist with a simple movement and hurried away in quick steps, passing a group of Ravenclaws who were staring at him curiously.</p><p>Oh, what an absolute disaster!</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>49 hours, 37 minutes and 11 seconds remaining …</em>
</p><p>“Okay, let me get this right: You offered your former nemesis to put a curse on yourself, which theoretically turns you into a sea monster at the age of 19 so that he has the chance to lead a normal life, although there is no guarantee that it will work. And he still says <em>no</em>?” Ron sounded as incredulous as Hermione looked.</p><p>Harry nodded and sighed. It was later that evening; after dinner in the Great Hall, he had dragged his two best friends into their dormitory without further ado and brought them up to date. The general surprise was understandable, but Harry had told all this to his friends not to shock them, but because he really needed their help.</p><p>“If you ask me, the guy is either totally in love with you or I’ll eat my broom," Ron said. Harry let himself fall back into his pillow with a frustrated sigh. That didn't help. Ron didn't help. Hermione didn't help. Talking didn't help. The burning in his chest just didn't go away and the queasy feeling in his stomach area even less.</p><p>“Perhaps Malfoy is right, Harry. The risk is really not small and even if I understand that you want to help him or rather have to through the curse, there are certain things you just can't force," Hermione remarked as if Harry didn't already know all this. Frustrated, he rubbed his forehead. It was too much. He needed a moment to breathe. And then he had to sort his thoughts. He needed more time! But he didn't have that and his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em>, as well as his mind, screamed at him to think of something <em>quickly</em>. As if that were so easy.</p><p>“I think Malfoy is just blinded by fear. If Harry thinks it's worth the risk, he should keep insisting!" At least, Ron took Harry's side, but he didn't need Ron's agreement, he needed Draco's. And getting it felt like an impossible step.</p><p>“Perhaps you should go to McGonagall, she will certainly know more," speculated Hermione, and was just the last straw. He didn't want to have any more useless conversations; he just wanted the assurance that Draco would live. Ashore! Why did this have to be so disgustingly exhausting?</p><p>He'd have to go looking for him. Even though Draco had asked him not to do just that, Harry had no choice. Waiting until the morning would be a waste of precious time. Time he didn't want to spend thinking, but doing! Following these thoughts, Harry reached for the Marauder's Map.</p><p>~</p><p><em>45 hours, 57 minutes and 23 seconds</em> <em>remaining… </em></p><p>A silence that hung heavy over the room.</p><p>A scent of lavender that could offer no comfort.</p><p>A heat that the bathroom on the fifth floor had on it, making it difficult to breathe.</p><p>A feeling of doing something forbidden, because Harry silently and secretly looked at the pool, that caused more pain than familiarity in him.</p><p>Draco's trembling shoulders, his face hidden in his hands, no sobbing, just silence. Unbearable and heavy.</p><p>Draco's glow, which gave desperate hope for a future.</p><p>Harry left the room knowing that he had taken advantage of Draco's trust.</p><p>And one thing was clear: that night, Draco Malfoy would not be the only one to have tears accompanying him to sleep.</p><p>~</p><p>How to convince someone to live who was so sure they were not deserving to be saved? How did one explain to a person that he was worth the risk, that it was worth dying for him? Much more urgent: how to make Draco Malfoy realize that he was wrong and Harry was right?</p><p>Option number 1: Overpower him and take his blood without consent. His innocence along with it, just to be sure. Okay, no, rape was really not an option.</p><p>Option number 2: Pet him over the blond hair until he purred and said yes and amen to everything. However, the success rate was not too high, so a plan B would certainly be useful.</p><p>Option number 3: Have a normal conversation with him and then a discussion that degenerates into a quarrel - yeah, maybe not.</p><p>Option number 4: There <em>were</em> no other options!</p><p>Harry, whose thoughts had reached the level of confusion of the interior of the Burrow, was more desperate than even alive while he endured the lessons in disregard. Every encouraging word of his friends bounced off him as if he was immune to it, not even the sight of Draco tore him out of his trance. He hated it. He didn't want to be like that, he wanted to fight and not feel pushed onto the bench. He was not a substitute, and he didn't want to be.</p><p><em>34 hours, 26 minutes and 45 seconds</em> <em>remaining…</em></p><p>After lunch, Harry decided to stop the silent suffering and talk to Draco. Since he was no longer suffering from physical pain due to the transformation last night, he would be able to be honest with him even without a guilty conscience, this was the right time.</p><p>The next time he saw Draco, Harry decided to wait after all. And not. He already grabbed the blond man's wrist to pull him into a quiet corner, then he let go again. He had one shot.<em> One</em>. That was a lot of pressure he didn't need. And that confused him, rattled him. Merlin, if he hadn't seen Draco crying last night, maybe all this would be easier. But Draco's pain had been so palpable, so real.</p><p>Somehow Harry had the feeling Draco wanted to be grabbed by the wrist, after all, the grey eyes looked at him quite hopefully when they touched, but that could also be because they were desperately longing for each other. There was no need to say that, the tension would’ve been obvious even to a blind person. Why was this so hard? Why couldn't he just know what Draco needed? Why couldn't that curse just go to hell?</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>30 hours, 14 minutes and 57 seconds remaining…</em>
</p><p>“Merlin, <em>Potter</em>! You’ll rip off my arm," growled Draco, but was ignored by Harry. It had taken him two more classes to find the courage to grab Draco’s arm again and drag him away. By now it was late afternoon and they were in an abandoned classroom that Harry had never seen from the inside. Apart from a few tables and an old blackboard, there wasn't much too look at anyway.</p><p>“You’re avoiding me,” Harry noted as he leaned against one of the surrounding tables and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He tried to look reproachful and didn’t quite succeed. Draco stood barely two meters away from him, a little too stiff, in the middle of the room and looked at the old blackboard notes, which were hardly legible. He looked tired; he probably hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Last night… Harry's chest hurt from thinking about it.</p><p>“You’re upset, I didn't want to twist the knife," Draco admitted honestly, but continued not to look at Harry.</p><p>Harry lowered his head so low that his neck cracked. He knew he seemed angry, but he wasn't really. Just confused and sad and desperate and definitely under time pressure. “I just want you to give the idea a chance,” it came barely audible from Harry, who still had his head down. Eyes closed as if this would enable him to hide from the world, from reality.</p><p>A gentle touch on his upper arm made him flinch before he relaxed. Still, he didn't lift his head, instead, he loosened his crossed arms to reach blindly for Draco's waist and pull him a tiny bit closer. His heart reacted immediately to Draco's warmth with soulful happiness, and the rest of his body greeted him with relief as if he had been absent too long.</p><p>“You idiot. Just as much as you’re trying to save my life, I'm holding on to yours," Draco confessed as he shoved his hands behind Harry's neck and rested his chin on Harry's hair. That touch, so soothing and so painfully beautiful.</p><p>“But I don't want to be saved. I don't<em> need</em> to be saved!" Harry remarked as he looked at their feet. The softness of the moment seized him and enveloped his heart with warmth.</p><p>Slowly, Draco lifted his chin from Harry's bowed head, allowing him to raise it. “My fate is a curse, yours is your recklessness. Believe me when I tell you that you do need saving.”</p><p>“You know," Harry began, actually raising his head and leaning his forehead on Draco's. “My luck has always been miles ahead of my recklessness. Your concern is unwarranted. I've taken worse risks than this.”</p><p>Draco snorted, interlocking his fingers behind Harry's neck and stroking his thumb along Harry's hairline, giving him tingling goosebumps. “You stubborn git!”</p><p>Harry almost laughed. He could only return the compliment, but the mood was too heavy to allow himself to laugh. “You ask the impossible when you deny me the one task of a saviour.”</p><p>“You've already saved everyone. My family, my friends and me. Consider your task fulfilled.” Draco's words were nothing but emptiness, even if Harry could read honest gratitude in the grey eyes.</p><p>Then, all of a sudden, it struck Harry. “You want to believe the theory, don't you? There is nothing you crave more than freedom; you would take every chance to get it. And now you're blowing it all to hell.” <em>Because you want to protect me,</em> Harry finished his sentence in his mind. He didn't know why he deserved it or why Draco felt that way about him, but the little selfish part of him was happy about it.</p><p>“I can't let the same cursed fate befall you. I don't want to hurt anyone just for my own good. Not anymore," Draco murmured, releasing his forehead from Harry to take a better look at him. “Can you understand that?"</p><p>“Yes," Harry answered honestly, watching closely as Draco's smile failed to reach his eyes, and struggling not to sigh. “But you have to understand me too. I can't just let you go; it goes against everything my nature stands for. If I let you go, I'd lose myself.”</p><p>Draco grimaced as if Harry had punched him, but he didn't look away, just pinched his lips together.</p><p>“You have to trust me, Draco. Can you do that?" Harry knew that was a tough question. Trust came with time, it was not something he could just buy, but had to be built up over weeks, months, maybe years. But they didn't have weeks or years, what they had were hours and the clock just wouldn't stop ticking.</p><p>Draco, who had held Harry's gaze for a long time, closed his eyes, let himself be pulled into an embrace and laid his head on Harry's shoulder. He trusted Harry, of course, he did, but his protective instinct urged him to follow his original plan. But yes, he trusted him. Maybe a little too much.</p><p>And then, all of a sudden, Harry felt soft lips on his, begging for more. Surprised, Harry responded to the kiss, even though he tried to slow down. Draco was not to be put off by this, quickly grabbed Harry's belt and fumbled around with it.</p><p>Harry didn’t understand what was going on. The simple kiss turned into something else, even though he didn't want to complain. Actually, they just didn't have the time for a wild snogging session until it was clarified how they would remain. Draco, who meanwhile sucked teasingly at Harry's throat, seemed to see that quite differently.</p><p>With a pleasurable sigh, Harry shoved a hand in Draco's hair, felt the silky softly strands of hair glide along his fingers and felt like he was over the moon. Over a very hot moon, which also seemed to strike his prick. No wonder, as lewd as Draco rubbed himself against him.</p><p>Harry's belt fell and Draco, leaving no space between their bodies, set about opening his trousers. Hold on. What did this all boil down to? Harry truly couldn’t get enough of Draco's touch, but he wouldn’t be able to cope with having to neglect Draco again. No, that would be too much to ask of his pride. After all, Harry wasn't one to be served. He wanted to see Draco in ecstasy, to hear his moans, to feel his muscles twitching - oh Merlin, he couldn’t miss out on that any longer.</p><p>“Wait a minute, what… what are we doing?” Harry asked while he pushed Draco away a bit, breathing heavily. <em>Tell me you want me to touch you…</em></p><p>“Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to sleep with you, Harry," Draco replied with a seriousness in his voice that left Harry's eyes to open in horror.</p><p>“Wait, what? No! Why would you…? I thought you didn't want to…” Harry broke off his stammered half-sentences, looking at Draco in confusion. Did he get that right? Draco wanted to lose his virginity to his saviour? Had he not vehemently refused because he was too afraid of unrequited love?</p><p>“By Merlin, Harry! It's the only way to not put you at risk and still show you that I trust you," exclaimed Draco, looking seriously <em>desperate</em>.</p><p>Shocked, Harry pushed the blond further away from him. He couldn’t be serious. Harry knew that Draco placed nothing above his desire for freedom, what he was doing here was sheer madness. And besides, it was not agreed upon, which made it much worse. Although Harry was really tempted to just say yes and amen, to see Draco moaning here and now, to secure his eternal love, but that was just the lust and his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> that spoke out of him.</p><p>“There is a way out of this curse that grants you freedom and me your saved life. I <em>know</em> it scares you because it scares me too, but I'm asking you to trust me. Give the possibility of saving each other a chance.” Harry's voice sounded rough and his vocal cords hurt when he spoke, but the truth came easily to his lips.</p><p>Draco, who was kept an arm's length away from Harry, bit his lower lip in doubt. Merlin, the slightly reddened cheeks, the messy blond hair, the swollen lips, if Draco didn't give in slowly, there was no guarantee Harry would last much longer. But then the Slytherin lowered his head and when he raised it again, Harry could see a slight nod.</p><p>Harry's heartbeat instantly increased its rhythm, while his whole skin started to tingle. He'd done it. He'd convinced Draco. And nobody had died or collapsed in tears, no, they had just talked. Like adults who were aware of their responsibilities. It was amazingly pleasant to act like an adult as long as he got what he wanted.</p><p>This time it was Harry who pulled Draco to him for a kiss. It was not wild, not marked by desire, only the gratitude, the pure relief and a little nervousness resonated in it. The emotions were absorbed by Draco's joy and mingled with the hundreds of other emotions they felt for each other.</p><p>~</p><p><em>26 hours, 23 minutes and 48 seconds</em> <em>remaining…</em></p><p>“I should go. Hermione and Ron must be worried.” Harry didn’t like having to say those words. The last hours had been pure luck. Draco's gentle kisses, the cool fingers, the silky hair… Who wouldn't have liked to be in his place and celebrate their decision with tenderness?</p><p>Draco sighed and softly scratched Harry's neck, but nodded insightfully. “Be on time and promise me you'll try to get some more sleep.” With one finger Draco gently traced the dark circle under Harry's eye, which had been unavoidable during the last weeks.</p><p>“If I'm supposed to be at the lake at sunrise, it's going to be difficult to get enough sleep," Harry remarked with a bold grin.</p><p>Returning the grin, Draco raised an eyebrow in probing. “Apart from the fact that you’re supposed to be at the lake <em>before</em> sunrise, you can go straight to sleep now.”</p><p>Harry laughed softly before answering. “What if I like having bags under my eyes?</p><p>“That," began Draco, who gave Harry another little kiss on the lips. “would be because you're not doomed to look at yourself all the time.”</p><p>Harry almost went on with the teasing, then decided against it for the sake of his best friends. He wrapped his arms around Draco once more before he said goodbye. Lightness enclosed his heart, even if the difficult path had yet to be taken. But with Draco together, it could only work out well, Harry just knew that. He was also excited to tell his friends about the good news, which made him walk even faster.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. A Fairytale Truthfulness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>19 hours, 17 minutes and 4 seconds remaining</em>...</p><p>"If this goes wrong..."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll kill me with your own bare hands. You've said it before, Draco."</p><p>It was still dark, only a narrow bright stripe on the horizon indicated that the sun would soon rise, but now the Great Lake was still dark and scary in front of them. The calm surface of the water didn’t even give an idea of the cruel and beautiful creatures that lived hidden in it. As if veiled under a dome, the water protected them from life on land or vice versa. Maybe the water also protected life on land from life in the water.</p><p>Harry had arrived at their meeting place on time, he had hardly slept a wink last night, but nevertheless, he felt more awake than ever before. The adrenaline ruled his body, mixed with his excitement and somewhere his heart was beating in a fast rhythm, simply because Draco was standing close by, looking out at the lake with a worried expression on his face. Harry would have loved to raise his hand and wipe the worry lines from Draco's forehead, but the worry lay deeper than just in his expression. Feelings couldn’t simply be wiped away; Harry knew that much by now.</p><p>"Are you afraid?"</p><p>Surprised, Harry looked at Draco, who looked at him with a frowned forehead full of concern. Was he afraid? Perhaps a little. But in a funny way, he knew the feeling so well, that he wasn't uncomfortable. It was like seeing an old friend again after a long time. Besides, it wasn't a fear of death, just the natural fear one developed when one was about to be cursed. So Harry swayed his head insignificantly, which was neither a nod nor a shake of the head.</p><p>"The pain will go away quickly and the chance that you will be affected by the curse beyond having the cursed blood is slim. I first transformed when I was 3 years old and also not completely. Mother said that all she saw were a few scales. For those affected the curse develops slowly and over time, which is something we don't possess, so you don't have to worry about it," Draco explained calmly to take away Harry's palpable fear.</p><p>Harry felt like a sponge, absorbing every bit of information with interest, after all, Draco didn't talk often about his childhood and the curse in combination. He wanted to know more, finally daring to ask his questions. "Does it hurt when you transform?"</p><p>"No, not anymore. I used to be in agony, but that phase passed. It depends on how quickly one can accept the curse." While Draco was still speaking, he looked out again onto the still lying lake. He seemed tense and as if he was rethinking whether this was really a good idea.</p><p>Knowing that Draco would certainly find that the idea was not good enough for his pessimistic self, Harry reached for Draco's hand and gently squeezed it once before letting go again. Grey eyes found green for a moment, then both took a last deep breath and stepped to the lakeshore where they had met the waterspirit many times before.</p><p>"It will not come to us of its own free will, so we must call it. Give me your hand."</p><p>Willingly, Harry reached out his hand and watched carefully as Draco held it, palm up, gently stroking the sensitive fingertips. Something bright flashed in Draco's eyes and before Harry knew it, Draco's hand was clawed just like the one of his mer-creature form. Harry lifted his eyes from their hands and concentrated on Draco's face. The soft gleam also enveloped him as a human, the shining eyes seemed more threatening than gentle, and were those signs of the blond man's gills? What kind of control did Draco have over this form when he was able to master his abilities without needing a drop of water?</p><p>The sudden burning pain in the palm of his hand made him hiss, then he felt something warm and fluid where the pain quickly faded. Blood flowed over the palm of his hand, down his wrist and along his forearm. With Harry's luck, it would leave a nasty scar. But he didn't get a chance to look at Draco reproachfully, as he was already holding Harry's bleeding hand over the surface of the lake so the drops of blood could fall on it.</p><p>Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then a figure broke through the water surface, at a speed that scared Harry so much that he stumbled back a few steps. While he was still rowing with his arms, he recognized the waterspirit. But it looked in no way like the beautiful young woman it had embodied at their last meeting - no, the creature was again just as hideous and frightening as the times before.</p><p>Eyes as dark as the night, dark hair that fell heavily and wet over its bony shoulders, and a row of teeth that looked so pointed one could cut oneself on them just by looking at it. Yes, eerie brought this encounter to the point. Against this, Draco looked like a pet cat, even though the tension in the air immediately revealed which of the two was holding the reins.</p><p>Harry, who had closed his hand and tried to stop the welling blood with the other one, came closer again. Draco didn't pay any attention to him, just stared down the waterspirit, which had its wanted effect, giving him a triumphant smile. In an instant, the glow of his eyes and the shine of his skin disappeared, he looked completely human again.</p><p>"Come closer, Harry."</p><p>Without taking his eyes off the waterspirit who had submissively lowered his head, Draco reached out a hand in Harry's direction, not so he could grab it, only to command him to come closer. Draco's imperious side caused an interesting feeling in Harry, unfortunately, this feeling was especially limited to his loins, so he tried to think of something else in a hurry.</p><p>Without any objections, Harry followed Draco's request and crouched down next to Draco in front of the waterspirit. It seemed to be inferior to Draco, but a nasty grin in Harry's direction was not to be taken away from it. "The waterspirit preys on your weakness. It knows that it is subject to your magic, it takes advantage of the fact that you don't have that knowledge," Draco explained calmly as he squatted down next to Harry and opened Harry's bleeding hand.</p><p>"It has hurt you," Harry remarked. Draco had rolled up his shirt, the pale wound on his right forearm was still clearly visible.</p><p>Draco sighed, letting go of Harry's hand who held it in place and drew his wand to stroke the palm of his own hand, which instantly began to bleed when touched. "Possessiveness makes us go to extremes."</p><p>Harry just left the statement, rather watched Draco put his hand into Harry's and felt more of the stabbing pain that made him growl as they touched. "Why do blood curses have to be so <em>bloody</em>?" he attempted to joke.</p><p>Draco glanced towards the horizon where the first rays of sunlight fought the darkness and then looked back at Harry. Once he took a deep breath, then kneeled down, which Harry imitated instantly without their hands separating. "Ready?"</p><p>Harry would’ve liked to have agreed with a beaming smile, but he had to be honest: he was scared. Not of the announced pain, not of the possibility that things might go wrong, but of losing Draco in spite of everything. Harry smiled slightly. His heart and mind had some strange priorities agreeing with his <em>Helper-Syndrome</em> on this one. Then he nodded.</p><p>A commanding look from Draco to the waterspirit was enough for the creature to lay a scrawny hand on their hands. At dawn, the creature looked strangely pale and translucent, like dust in the corner of a classroom. The voice the waterspirit raised was even more rumbling than usual and it didn’t speak their language. Remotely, the sound was reminiscent of the Merpeople Harry had met in his fourth year, only the language sounded much older and was infused with ancient, dark magic.</p><p>The pain struck Harry with a force that almost wiped him out and made him faint. It felt as if someone was trying to burn all the blood from his veins and bleed him out with a Sectumsempra at the same time. Only Draco's hand on his kept him from screaming out in pain and curling up on the ground whimpering. He tasted blood, smelled blood and clearly felt something turning in his stomach. Just a little more and he’d throw up right here and now. Hissing in the ear, he could barely hear the words of the waterspirit, but he thought he could hear the rumbling ceasing.</p><p>The pain subsided as quickly as it had come, but still, the aftermath made Harry tremble all over his body and brought sweat to his brow. Holy shit, that had been worse than expected. Even though the pain continued to subside, Harry found it hard to see or hear properly. Hurriedly he reached for his limbs as if he had to make sure that he really wasn't injured. Indistinguishable he heard a voice speaking to him.</p><p>"... calm... fine... done..."</p><p>Draco's voice was music to Harry's ringing ears, even if he was only able to grasp fragments. Slowly but surely his sight and his sense of hearing returned to him. A glance at the lake told him that they were alone and a blink of an eye later he noticed that he whimpered softly, breathing heavily pressed against Draco. As soon as he noticed, he pinched his lips together and hectically wiped a few tears from the corners of his eyes. Merlin, he was pathetic.</p><p>But Draco, who moved him a little bit away from himself to take a closer look at him, seemed nothing more than worried and maybe a little relieved. Relieved that it was over. "Are you all right?"</p><p>Harry nodded. The pain was gone and he felt no different than usual. Only his hectic breath and the hard-throbbing heart reminded him that he had just suffered in agony. But it was over. And when Draco began to heal the wound on his hand, he felt much better than he had just moments ago.</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>18 hours, 9 minutes, 45 seconds remaining...</em>
</p><p>"And you’re really fine?" Draco asked, worried grey eyes mustered the black-haired man, who answered the question in the affirmative for the fifth time now. As often as Draco asked about his well-being, one might think that he already regretted trusting Harry, but so far, he hadn't said anything of the sort.</p><p>By this time, the two of them were standing in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, where not a soul was roaming around at that time of the morning. But soon the early risers would show up and neither of the two young men wanted to be caught here. Harry longed for something to eat and perhaps a shower to get rid of the remnants of the sweat of fear. But most of all he longed for a bed and a capful of sleep. Not exactly the perfect conditions for the planned fling.</p><p>"When do you want to-? I mean, do you wanna go straight-?" What a lame attempt by Harry to talk about sex, that he flushed red, only made things worse.</p><p>Draco smiled insecurely and took a step towards Harry, who must have seemed a little lost. "How about tonight?"</p><p>On the one hand, Harry was really relieved that Draco didn't want to go into action right away and gave him the opportunity to prepare himself a bit internally, but on the other hand, it wouldn't exactly reduce the nervousness and pressure, rather the delay would provide even more thrills.</p><p>"Tonight is good. Then we'll have some more preparation time," agreed Harry, cursing his cheeks that didn't want to get any cooler and noticed Draco's questioning look. "Well, you know. Showering, shaving and stuff like that." Oh God. Why did Draco look so sceptical, and why was Harry getting redder and redder? "I mean my face! Shaving my face... Unless you want me to..." Harry broke off because he'd definitely put his foot in his mouth and his face could compete with a tomato. He wasn't <em>seriously</em> going to ask if Draco was bothered by pubic hair just now. <em>Please, Ground, open up!</em> After all, Draco had already touched him and never complained. Why <em>the hell</em> was he suddenly so insecure?</p><p>Draco bit his lower lip, most likely to keep from laughing. "I’m begging you, please stop talking. This is more unpleasant than my father's attempts at enlightenment."</p><p>Nervously Harry scratched the back of his head - great, of course, he had to make the conversation embarrassing. Did Draco even want to do this? After all, Harry resembled a wreck and unlike Draco, he didn't know whether he had a gifted hand for sex or not. Because,<em> surprise</em>, of course, Harry was no less of a virgin than Draco.<br/>
Wait, had Draco just said that <em>Lucius Malfoy</em> had tried to enlighten him? The thought was... disturbing but amusing and distracted Harry from his inner anguish.</p><p>"Shall we...? Well, the Room of Requirement might be more suitable than our dormitories. At least we'd be, you know, undisturbed." <em>Merlin, please give me back my confidence. I beg of you</em>, whined Harry's mind mentally.</p><p>But Draco nodded and let himself be convinced even without Harry's confidence. The Slytherin didn't really have a choice, anyway. Harry admonished himself not to have such destructive thoughts, then even leaned in to give Draco a quick kiss on the lips before he headed for the Gryffindor common room.</p><p>He still had a whole day of school to get around and would definitely be able to use this time to work on his inner Lion. Tonight he could hardly chicken out, he didn't want that either. After all, the prospect of a night with Draco was an intoxicating one and drove blood to certain regions just at the thought of it. If only the pressure wasn't there and the quiet fear that something might go wrong.</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds remaining…</em>
</p><p>The smell of grilled sausages and potatoes caused nothing but a feeling of nausea in Harry that evening. He envied Ron, who was having seconds for the third time and at the same time already started eating his chocolate pudding. Hermione didn't share the envy at all, just kept giving Ron reproachful looks until he snapped. "What is it?"</p><p>Hermione pinched her lips narrowly together and nodded her chin meaningfully in Harry's direction. He saw it out of the corner of his eye but was far too busy ignoring his dinner and glancing furtively at the Slytherin table, where Draco was being spoken to by Pansy Parkinson.</p><p>As expected, the day had been absolutely boring and unimportant. To be honest, Harry didn't remember a single topic that the professors had taught him, but the Gryffindor wasn’t bothered by that. On the weekend, he would have enough time to rework the material. Assuming everything went well this night.</p><p>Harry was not yet completely over his nervousness, but he had definitely recovered some of his self-confidence. Draco liked him, he had said so himself, and obviously trusted him enough to follow Harry's plan, even if it displeased him. Those were good conditions for a crush, besides the curse that forced him to proposition himself to Harry anyway. Harry almost laughed at the thought. Draco Malfoy had feelings for him, Harry Potter. It was truly surreal, and even more surreal was that Harry returned those feelings.</p><p>"I don't want to discourage you or anything, but I think you're worrying too much," Ron tore Harry from his thoughts and made sure that Harry turned his attention back to his two best friends. The three of them had deliberately settled a bit away from the majority of Gryffindors, after all, they hadn't really had a chance to talk about everything in detail yet. Of course, Harry had already told them about the morning.</p><p>"Ron!" Hermione reproached her boyfriend and then smiled at Harry gently. "What Ron’s trying to say is that we're very proud of you for taking this risk! We're absolutely sure that you will... master the rest just as well!"</p><p>Oh <em>heavens</em>, that was really nice of Hermione and at the same time incredibly awkward. Harry's nervousness must have been <em>very</em> obvious when the two of them even spoke to him about it. How does one tell ones best friends that one was absolutely unwilling to talk about one's first time, which would also save one's partner from an eternal curse, an eternal curse that one had put on oneself and from which one had to be saved as well? "Okay, thank you."</p><p>"Mione is right! It's not that hard, and besides, it really shouldn't be a problem. You let yourself be cursed this morning and you were less concerned about it than you are about sex with Malfoy," Ron said, shrinking Harry's hopes of not having to talk about this any further.</p><p>Hermione nodded affirmatively as she skewered a potato on her fork. "The whole thing will probably be over after about ten minutes anyway, and then you'll be completely exhausted, curled up under your blanket and falling asleep.” Ron interrupted his meal to stare at Hermione in shock. "At least that's what Ron was doing!"</p><p>For half a second Harry tried to pull himself together, then he burst out laughing. He <em>really</em> didn't want to know anything about the sex life of his best friends, but he thanked them inwardly for the insight. Ron poutingly pushed his lower lip forward, while Hermione grinned at Harry with amusement. For this moment Harry felt amazingly free of burden; he really had missed laughing so easily with his friends.</p><p>"To be honest, I think ten minutes is still optimistic", Ron went one better and Harry thought he was about to fall off the bench laughing. He hurriedly wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye and tried to collect himself. The fact that he was so amused about this was certainly due to his inner tension, which turned into hysteria, but that didn't matter as long as he was having fun.</p><p>As soon as Harry had calmed halfway down, he noticed the satisfied faces of his friends. Without any questions, he realized that they had done a great job at calming him down and waking him up from his trance. But it was also clear to him that if he would sit there with them any longer, the questions about his well-being and feelings would arise, which he knew to avoid.</p><p>A glance at the Slytherin table told him that Draco looked at him and smiled slightly when their eyes met. <em>Oh, you beautiful bastard, you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this evening,</em> Harry thought to himself and allowed himself a grin, coupled with a wink in Draco's direction, who raised an eyebrow in surprise, but his smile grew only wider.</p><p>"Did you seriously just <em>wink</em> at Malfoy? Hermione, <em>what have we done</em>?" Ron looked at Harry dumbfounded and equally dumbfounded at his girlfriend, who was struggling to keep from laughing. Harry simply hoped it was the situation comedy that amused her and not his lack of sex appeal.</p><p>"Yep and he liked it, so save it! Anyway, I'm gonna get going, so wish me luck." With this, Harry rose a bit cumbersome without paying further attention to his barely touched food. Hermione blew him a kiss and Ron cheered with his cup into the air, wishing him "long steadiness", which prompted Harry to flee the Great Hall even faster, hoping that Ron's words had gone unheard by Draco.</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>4 hours, 38 minutes and 46 seconds remaining…</em>
</p><p>Harry had been staring at the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy for what felt like an eternity. He felt pretty stupid, his only job at the moment was to walk up and down the corridor opposite the tapestry and imagine the room he needed. Not a difficult task, if he hadn't turned into a pillar of salt a while ago. What, by Merlin, was a suitable room?</p><p>A bed with enough room for the two of them was the most important thing, of course, but the rest? What mood should he choose? Something simple or something cheesy? Did Draco even like sob-stuff? It was their first time after all and if he had the chance to plan it, he could definitely take the trouble to make it romantic. Unless Draco wasn't into romance, in which case it might not be appropriate.</p><p>Harry groaned, pressed his hand against his forehead and took a deep breath. These thoughts were too much for one head, in the end, it didn't matter anyway. It was about him and Draco and nobody else. Maybe he could spice up the room a bit with things they both liked? But something not as big as a Quidditch pitch. Harry would've loved to play Quidditch with Draco, that would've certainly calmed him down.</p><p>Still thinking about a bed and the combination of his and Draco's interests, Harry walked along the stone wall. Up and down. Three times, then he tore up his head in horror as a small wooden door formed on his right with a clack. Instantly, Harry's heart beat faster and he had to wipe his hands on his jeans to dry them. He was glad that he had already taken a shower, with all that sweat he would soon smell how he did after a Quidditch game.</p><p>Before the Room of Requirement could change its mind, Harry bravely grabbed the door handle and opened the door a bit to have a look inside. Any hope that the ‘sob-stuff’ was limited was hereby dead. The rather small room was illuminated by torches in their holders in the corners that bathed the room in a reddish-golden light. The four-poster bed took up the largest part of the room and was also quite splendid to look at. It was similar to the beds in their dormitories but more extra. The posts were made of pure gold, the canopy, as well as the bedclothes were also made of golden and beige fabric.</p><p>Harry's breath faltered, was that a lion and a snake connected with a snitch engraved in the gold of the bed? This was really too much of a good thing! The candles, which lined up along the stone wall and helped to light up the room, smelled of citrus and apple, which Harry liked, but it was completely crazy. Scented candles? A golden bed? Engraved house crests? And were those rose petals, scattered dangerously close to the scented candles? Merlin, if Draco saw this, Harry would be so screwed. Too much pomp, too much swank.</p><p>"My, my, look who's been busy."</p><p>As soon as Harry heard Draco's voice behind him, he slammed the door to the Room of Requirement with a fury that made him afraid that it could’ve been heard by Filch or Peeves. Smiling nervously, Harry turned, the door at his back, to Draco who walked towards him along the corridor and looked at him questioningly. "Hey Draco," he said almost dignified, then the blond came to a halt in front of him.</p><p>Draco looked good, the hairstyling he had definitely freshened up since the morning, but he didn't wear any fancy clothes. Just a plain shirt and loose-fitting cloth trousers, if Harry remembered correctly, then these were the grey trousers Draco had lent him. Oh, heavens, the thought of that night made Harry's blood boil instantly.</p><p>"We'd better use one of our dormitories after all. The room is a bit-" Harry faltered for lack of the right word, but Draco's smile revealed that he already had his own thoughts on the matter. But not even Draco would expect the full extent of the madness hidden behind this wooden door, so maybe it was better if he didn't see it at all.</p><p>"Are you ashamed of your innermost desires?" Draco asked defiantly as he took another step towards Harry, or rather, towards the closed door and made Harry press himself against the wood in panic.</p><p>"Those in there aren't my innermost desires, if I may say so. It's just very <em>intense</em>," Harry defended himself and ran his fingers through his hair. Before he knew it, Draco's lips were already on his own. Just briefly and lightly, but it helped to calm down again and actually let Draco inside the room, even though there was a soft pink shimmer on his cheeks.</p><p>Draco's reaction to the room was not a laugh, nor a mocking comment, only a knowing smile in Harry's direction. "Romantic."</p><p>Harry grimaced and felt something in his stomach area exploding as he entered the room behind Draco and closed the door. There was no turning back now. There shouldn’t be a turning back either, only Draco, who looked around curiously, was important now.</p><p>"Your reaction made me expect worse. For a moment, I thought I had to reckon a torture chamber," said Draco as he let his finger glide along the engraved lion.</p><p>Harry exhaled with amusement through his nose and stopped at the entrance of the room. "Do you really think I'm a sadist?"</p><p>"You don't seem to have experienced yourself as angry yet," Draco replied, approaching Harry again and stopped in front of him smiling smugly. "But apart from that, who said I thought you were a sadist, not a masochist?"</p><p>All the blood that had already accumulated in Harry's groin at the sight of Draco now made its way unerringly to his cheeks, so he grabbed Draco by the neck and pulled him into a desperate kiss. Draco's comments shouldn’t confuse him again, and since Harry's strength wasn’t necessarily his words, he now moved on to action.</p><p>Draco gladly took in the kiss, not insisting on the teasing back and forth, and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist where they nimbly made their way across his muscular back. Harry sighed comfortably, pulled Draco tighter and destroyed the blond's perfectly made hairstyle.</p><p>Forgetting that this was a great and important moment for both of them, he concentrated on the soft lips and the tongue that was thrusting towards him. This was good, it felt as liberating as all the other times. Once again, Harry wondered how he would ever be able to stop kissing Draco.</p><p>Draco's body, which snuggled up perfectly like a missing piece of the puzzle on his own, drove him half-mad and Harry really had to fight to slow down and not rip Draco's clothes off immediately. For having panicked a moment ago, he was now quite gagging for more.</p><p>The smell of lavender clouded his senses and he forgot where he was; even more eager, he pulled the blond even tighter, grabbed the silky hair unyielding, didn't let go, didn't let either of them even take a breath. The hard bulge on his hip only spurred him on and he pressed his own hip against Draco's, who gasped in surprise. Harry caught the gasp with his lips and smiled lightly into the kiss. Oh yes, he wouldn’t be served tonight - no, he would kiss Draco, touch him, take him to hell and heaven.</p><p>"Okay, stop!"</p><p>Surprised by Draco's admonitory tone, Harry perplexedly let himself be pushed away by Draco and also let his hand slide out of the blond man's hair. Oh, he’d grabbed it a little too tight. But Draco looked so wonderfully hot, with his flushed cheeks and swollen lips, there was no holding back.</p><p>"Harry!"</p><p>The addressed man blinked a few times too fast, but then he took his eyes off Draco's lips and looked apologetically into the grey eyes. It was certainly not good that he didn't care what he had to say as long as he could feel those wonderful lips on his own again.</p><p>"Merlin, this is more serious than I anticipated."</p><p>Whatever Draco was talking about it took too long and he urgently needed to do something better with his lips. For example, he could kneel before Harry, unzip his fly, pull his trousers down and...</p><p>"Concentrate! What you're feeling right now is predominantly the desire of the curse, it's not real!"</p><p><em>What</em>? Of course, Harry was genuinely keen on Draco. That was ridiculous. Why would that be the desire of the curse? That was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard! Was Draco the one who panicked now? But he didn't have to, Harry would be gentle, a bit conquering, but gentle.</p><p>"<em>Potter</em>, if you keep looking at me like you want to eat me for dinner, I'm going to slap you!"</p><p>Once again Harry had to blink to tear himself away from the sight of Draco. Maybe Draco was right after all, what he felt here was roaring in his veins and not coming from his heart or mind. The sea creatures' penchant for earthly pleasures was already familiar to him, but the curse had to spur him on even more. Harry briefly closed his eyes and concentrated on getting his blood under control. His beating heart didn’t disappear, but he managed to think a little clearer.</p><p>When he opened his eyes again, they found grey and a slight smile formed on his lips. "Do you know this feeling from experience?"</p><p>Draco snorted but seemed visibly relieved that Harry had regained control over his thoughts. "I was quite capable of controlling my emotions, as I recall."</p><p>Harry's smile got a little wider. "Unfortunately!"</p><p>Draco just shook his head and rolled his eyes before pulling Harry closer again so that the tips of their noses were touching. "We have to take it slow tonight, all right? Or else you'll give in to the primitive urges of the curse and I'll rip your throat out in the process."</p><p>Harry grimaced at the image but nodded. "Not a very exciting thought." He had seen with his own eyes how much Draco could control his urges, he wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating him, but he also knew that there were only a few hours left until Draco's birthday and that the blond certainly knew what he was talking about.</p><p>"If it soothes you," Draco began with a gentle voice that contrasted sharply with his yearning eyes. "<em>I</em> want to shag you; the <em>mer-creature</em> wants to kill you."</p><p>This didn’t soothe Harry much, but he smiled at Draco's attempt to defuse the tension. Although he was also subject to the desires of the curse, he felt no urge to hurt Draco, should this go wrong and Harry remain under the curse, that would probably change soon. So he heeded Draco's advice to be prudent and put his lips slowly and gently back on Draco’s, who resumed the game with tenderness.</p><p>Once again, Harry felt the lust in his veins, begging for redemption so much more urgently than it usually did, but Harry pushed back the feeling, focusing all his attention on the emotions he felt for Draco instead. For the moment, lust prevailed, even though he ignored the desires of the curse, so he followed it, albeit slowly, and pushed Draco at the waist towards the large canopy bed in the middle of the room.</p><p>Draco sighed comfortably, wrapped his arms around Harry's neck and, without interrupting the kiss, climbed onto the bed, so that he knelt in front of the still-standing Harry to stay at eye level with him. There Harry had the kneeling Draco he had wished for, but he didn't look as if he was going to complete Harry's inner plan. Without further ado, Harry decided to go into action himself and pushed Draco further onto the mattress to be able to climb onto the bed himself.</p><p>Harry gasped once as Draco's hand grazed his crotch, struggled with his control and pushed Draco backwards onto the bed beneath him. Fuck, that was a truly beguiling sight that Harry would certainly have enjoyed longer if he hadn't been so aware of the urgency of his lust. Impatiently, he pulled on Draco's shirt until he took pity on him, pushed Harry a little bit away from him, straightened up and took the shirt off himself.</p><p>Harry knew Draco's body and even better he knew Draco's naked torso, but the context made Harry's neck grow hot and his cheeks just as well. Almost in awe, Harry let a finger slide down over the collarbone and finished his path only at Draco's waistband. With a quick glance at the visible bulge in Draco's pants, Harry swung one leg over Draco's hip and sat down on his lap.</p><p>Draco gasped falteringly and Harry struggled with himself not to grab his own crotch, feeling the hardness on his butt. Fuck, that was surreal and good. Not as scary as Harry had imagined, even though Ron and Hermione's ten-minute theory suddenly sounded very plausible. Especially since Draco was just straightening up and drawing Harry closer to him again for a kiss.</p><p>With relish, Harry let the kiss happen, let Draco bite his lip and smiled slightly as Draco's finger intertwined with Harry's. Harry used the other hand to continue teasing the naked stomach Draco had to tense in this position, causing the muscles to cramp even more with each touch.</p><p>Breaking away, Harry pulled his own shirt off as well, but before Draco's fingers could explore the new playing field, Harry pushed him back onto the mattress and continued his kisses southwards. His own southern region cheered with delight as it was pressed against Draco's as if by chance and gave Harry the feeling of having to defend himself against a gasp.</p><p>But then he slipped down from Draco's lap, causing a protest, but the protest was drowned in a satisfied grumble as soon as Harry boldly grabbed the bulge in the cloth trousers. This was it. This was the moment that finally allowed him to touch Draco Malfoy's body completely. He would savour every second, place every kiss perfectly, plan every touch carefully.</p><p>Mouth and nose tip pressed against Draco's skin for each kiss, Harry felt his way slowly. His pants became dangerously tight and he had to reach between his legs to give himself a short, strong grip. He didn't want to suffer and his erection would get enough opportunity for redemption later.</p><p>Draco's fingers in his hand and in his hair cramped a little when Harry started to place light kisses on the edge of the waistband and to lick teasingly over the light skin in some places. Whenever Harry came across one of the pale scars, he took extra time to caress it with all his patience. He owed Draco that much.</p><p>Removing his hand from his own crotch, he tampered with Draco's waistband and pulled the cloth into the hollow of his knee with a little too much verve. Draco barely had a chance to lift his bottom and gasp when his erection was exposed in all its glory and Harry continued his kisses on Draco's thighs.</p><p>Oh, Merlin, what was he doing here anyway? It was good, really good, but he had never sucked anyone's cock before and was pretty sure that his lack of experience could be a problem. How had Draco done that again? It had been dark, so Harry only remembered the feeling, and he was also sure that he had simply dived into another world in the middle of it, so he could only remember bits and pieces.</p><p>All right, he had been brave the whole time, he just needed to go on! But wait, if this would end in what he thought it ended, then he shouldn’t only think about Draco's erection, but also about other parts of his body. At that thought, Harry licked his lips before placing another kiss on the skin, right next to Draco's hard cock.</p><p>"When I asked you to take it slowly and in a controlled manner, I didn't mean for you to torture me," it came gasping from Draco, who was almost writhing under Harry's touch. Harry smiled, then grabbed Draco's hip, stroked Draco’s thumb once, closed his eyes and then placed his lips around Draco's tip.</p><p>Harry's inner outburst of thoughts about how to find this feeling was drowned in the lustful moans of Draco, which instantly wiped his thoughts away. Enthusiastically, Harry let his tongue slide over the tip, which twitched excitedly with every touch, and listened to the increasingly intense moaning of Draco, whose hand cramped painfully in Harry's hair. But the pain helped Harry to get over the fact that something in his trousers was about to burst.</p><p>The blood rushed in his ears and he truly forgot his manners. With one safe movement, he grabbed Draco's leg and positioned it close to his head while at the same time pointing it outwards. A blind man would have noticed what Harry was up to, but Draco was too busy thrusting his hip against Harry's lips and panting enthusiastically to pay attention.</p><p>Only when Harry's finger moved its way past Draco's balls over the perineum and directly towards the muscle ring, did he feel Draco's finger cramping against his. As an attempt to distract Draco, Harry took the rock-hard erection even deeper into his mouth, fought against his gag reflex and at the same time let a finger slide astonishingly skillfully into Draco. The desperate moaning was confirmation enough that the attempt had succeeded.</p><p>Draco didn't complain about the finger inside him and only pulled at Harry's hair to make him repeat what he had just done. Even though Harry's jaw began to hurt slowly, he followed the silent request, enjoying the wheezing panting he got from Draco and at the same time, he pushed a second finger in next to his first.</p><p>Poising his fingers, Harry kissed gently along Draco's cock to give his jaw a break for a few seconds. He felt his cheeks burn with excitement and the painful pulling in his loins.</p><p>Then, as Harry once again wrapped his lips around the erection and at the same time pushed his fingers deeper into Draco, all he could hear was a gasp, interrupted by a choked howl. He felt long fingers painfully clinging to his and Draco's entire body tensing up like a steel spring only to collapse like a house of cards. The Slytherin didn't taste bad, even if the consistency was quite strange on the tongue. Without complaining, Harry swallowed and let his fingers slide out of Draco, who twitched slightly.</p><p>With his heart pounding and his prick begging for attention, Harry crawled back up to Draco's eye level and allowed himself the sight for a moment. Through the thin film of sweat, Draco's skin shone in the torchlight, his breath went quickly, calmed down only slowly, his mouth stood a little open and his hair was tousled. A light red shimmer adorned his cheeks, which could also be found on the swollen lips, hell, for this sight, Harry gladly accepted jaw pain.</p><p>Draco's eyelids fluttered and then finally he opened his beautiful eyes, which shone brightly in the manner of his mer-creature form. Harry couldn’t suppress a slight smile, so Draco hadn’t been able to keep control after all. "You are..."</p><p>"-A natural. I know!" Harry finished Draco’s sentence with a bold grin and got an eye roll from Draco. "You don't have to massage my ego, your moans were confirmation enough for me," he added. But he admitted inwardly that Draco was allowed to massage something else.</p><p>Draco ran his index finger along Harry's jawline, completely ignoring the comment. "I know you’re pining to be fucked by me, but I guess I must give you the honour tonight. As a precaution." Draco pointed to his still ominously shining eyes with a feigned dramatic sigh.</p><p>Harry's jaw fell, but then he laughed. Somehow, the prat was right, but Harry couldn’t miss this <em>honour</em>. So he grabbed their still entangled fingers tighter and pulled Draco closer to him to involve him in a kiss that immediately became demanding.</p><p>Without thinking about it for long, Harry again pushed himself on Draco, but the blond seemed to have got tired of waiting, as he turned directly onto his stomach and allowed Harry a delicious sight of his buttocks. Enjoying this sight Harry let his fingers glide over it and spread Draco's legs a little bit in the same movement.</p><p>While Harry spread kisses on Draco's neck, he hurriedly got rid of his pants, which his prick thanked him for. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed the small tube right next to the bed, for which he silently thanked the Room of Requirement. With a quick movement, Harry grabbed it and distributed the lubricant on his trembling cock. Fuck, this went fast. Faster than before, but that was all right, wasn't it? The foreplay had been a complete success, Draco had practically asked Harry to do this.</p><p>Kneeling between Draco's spread legs, Harry allowed himself a moment to look at the blond man's naked body, then bent over Draco, kissed the blond man's neck again and hoped for some kind of confirmation that he was allowed to continue. When Draco didn't move, just sighed comfortably, Harry let a finger wander through Draco's crack, up to his entrance and didn't ask to be let in before he pushed in. Draco's wheezing was frantic and Harry just knew he was nervous, so he gently smoothed along Draco's waist.</p><p>Everything in him cried out to just pleasure himself, to thrust into Draco and just do it, but something small reminded him that this was bigger than a simple fuck. "Draco, you trust me, don't you?" Harry asked softly, right next to his ear, and could literally testify to the blond man's emerging goosebumps.</p><p>"Yes, it's just... I-" Draco faltered and raised his head, which had just been pushed into the pillow.</p><p>Harry's gaze fell on Draco's face, the slightly opened mouth in which he could see sharp fangs, the glow of Draco's eyes had also increased many times over. From the looks of it, he was slowly losing control. Now there were two possibilities: Either Harry waited patiently for Draco to calm down, although he had no idea how long that would take, or he tried to make sure Draco got the upper hand over his body himself. It wasn't long before Harry made up his mind.</p><p>"It’s fine. Just concentrate on staying calm." Harry spoke calmly and softly, how he managed that with his throbbing erection was beyond him, but he succeeded and while Draco nodded and tried hard to get his breath under control, Harry rose slightly and turned the blond on his back, careful not to startle Draco unnecessarily.</p><p>The fact that he swept the blanket to the floor was not noticed and he positioned himself in such a way that he could look at Draco but didn't touch him unnecessarily. He only allowed soothing touches and put kisses on the back of Draco's hand. He played with fire here, he was aware of that, just one wrong move and Draco could slit his throat. The fact that the desire was still filling the air despite all this proved Harry that he must be a bit too horny for his own good.</p><p>Draco's breath had calmed down a bit in the meantime and he pulled Harry back on himself while he united their lips for a kiss. That was Harry's sign and he spread Draco's legs to position himself in between. He caught the moaning of Draco with his lips and hardly dared to move. As he broke away slightly from Draco to give him a questioning look, he noticed the slight shimmer on the pale skin, reminding him to further repress his own curse-driven desires. "Are you okay?"</p><p>Draco's eyes still glowed as he looked at Harry and nodded. It probably wouldn't get any better, so Harry took a deep breath and intertwined his fingers with Draco's before leaning in to kiss him again. With the other hand, he positioned himself. <em>Don't get nervous now,</em> he thought to himself and then pressed his erection with little pressure against Draco's entrance.</p><p>The resistance wasn’t too strong, but the tension of Draco was palpable. Harry didn’t manage to hold back, had to interrupt the kiss, only heard a ringing in his ears and a sighing moan, which had to be himself. The feeling was overwhelming, the tightness almost drove Harry out of his mind and made him feel the need to come instantly. Holding himself back and because his whole body was trembling with excitement, Harry remained in a state of rigidity for a moment.</p><p>Draco gasped, biting his lower lip too hard and clawed his fingers firmly into Harry's and the other hand into his hair. But Harry's rigidity helped him to get used to the new feeling, and the Slytherin relaxed slowly but surely.</p><p>Harry, with sweat running down his temples from all the effort, exhaled falteringly before gently reaching for Draco's face, caressing his cheek and thrusting again, this time deeper. Draco's and Harry's moans mingled and even though Harry had to stop again to control himself, he gained confidence.</p><p>"Harry, I-" Draco began, squinting his eyes and lips together to stop himself from moaning. It was hard to hold back, it was damn hard to resist his urges, Harry could see that much.</p><p>Gently, Harry placed a kiss on the tip of Draco's nose and then nudged it with his own teasingly. "You don't have to speak, you're doing great," he tried to cheer him up, and judging by the way Draco’s breath slowed, it really helped. It helped that Harry trusted him and showed no fear. It helped that Draco returned the trust.</p><p>Draco's glistening skin began to lighten and Harry thrust again. Again and again and again until he found his rhythm and lost himself in it. He let himself fall, continued their kisses, sucked on bare skin, couldn't keep his fingers steady and floated in a world he had never seen before. Full of ecstasy and lust that was brewing up and then suddenly emptied itself over him.</p><p>Panting and with a hard beating heart, Harry collapsed on Draco, felt the aftershocks from their orgasms, smiled contentedly and closed his eyes. So that was it. Their first time. Amazingly normal, except for the demanding urges. Harry felt the need to ask Draco how he had liked it, but held himself back, took a breath again at first.</p><p>When he finally rolled off from Draco, lay on his back and just turned his head towards Draco, he couldn’t help but smile radiantly. All the inner struggle, all the fear, all the discouragement, it had brought them here and now they were free of it. Free of all the worries and only the aftermath of their climaxes hung in the air.</p><p>The sight of Draco was more beautiful than ever. The red lips twisted into a smile, the grey eyes whose glow was just fading and the hair that, despite its condition, could not have been silkier. Harry didn’t dare to move yet; Draco and the situation were too beautiful.</p><p>"Maybe it was a good thing that I annoyed you at the lake," Harry thought aloud and just couldn't stop himself grinning.</p><p>Draco's smile widened unintentionally, then he raised one hand and brushed a strand of hair from Harry's eyes. "Well, your longstanding wish to get me into bed was granted. Persistence suits you better than I thought."</p><p>Harry snorted and as Draco turned to his side, Harry snuggled up against the warm chest where a heart beat its fast rhythm. "<em>Longstanding wish</em> my arse! I rather think you seduced me with your Slytherin games and <em>that</em> was planned for years!"</p><p>Draco's lips met Harry's forehead as he sighed with a smile. "Let us agree on mutual success. You got me into bed and I-"</p><p>"You have your freedom now," Harry interrupted the blond. "Quite possibly, at least."</p><p>Draco was silent for a moment, which made Harry stare at Draco's breastbone, he didn't want to ruin the mood, but he hadn't lied completely. Draco <em>had</em> his freedom now, and Harry <em>had</em> saved him. Everything had gone exactly as they had planned. Well, as Harry had planned. What the future would hold was written in the stars, but Harry didn't want to worry about that now.</p><p>"<em>I</em> can now peddle the fact that Harry Potter sucked my cock," it came from Draco, making Harry laugh. <em>What. An. Idiot.</em> Why did he feel all fuzzy-headed with a bloke <em>like that</em> again? Oh right, because he wasn't just any old twat. He was Harry's twat. With a sigh, Harry pressed his nose to Draco's cheek and intertwined their fingers. One day he might learn to understand these feelings, but for the moment he was quite comfortable with their very existence.</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>1 minute and 14 seconds remaining...</em>
</p><p>Calm breaths and the soft crackling of the torches in their holders filled the room. The cosy warmth emanating from the two sleeping young men was almost tangible. Nothing but pure peace and relief was in the air, everything was quiet, everything was carefree. In sleep, a hand found pale fingers to which it clung. Harry wouldn’t let go that quickly.</p><p>
  <em>10 seconds remaining…</em>
</p><p>Silently and unnoticed, the blond's skin began to glow, brighter and brighter until even the torches couldn’t keep up. Something began to buzz in the air like a swarm of doxies starting to chant, and the cosy warmth turned into an irrepressible, fiery heat.</p><p>But the glow extinguished by itself, the heat subsided, everything became calm and behind closed eyelids, the picture of a future free from all chains and curses was created. Blood became pure, old magic was extinguished, desires disappeared forever, abilities vanished as if they had never been and something other than magic touched two hearts that night.</p><p>~</p><p>Something warm and beautiful woke Harry the next morning. Plus his arm hurt, on which something heavy seemed to be lying. Warm, beautiful and heavy. Harry smiled even before he opened his eyes because he knew exactly who that was next to him. Warm, beautiful, heavy and human! Those were clearly Draco's bare legs against his. With a wildly beating heart, Harry opened his eyes and looked down at the blond shock of hair in his arm.</p><p>Draco's eyes were still closed, but his breaths revealed that he was awake, so Harry began to run his fingers gently through the blond's soft hair. Draco's satisfied grumble was drowned out by him pressing his nose into Harry's collarbone. A peppery fresh scent tickled Harry's nose and reminded him strongly of the freesias his Aunt Petunia had grown in her garden. He liked the smell, but he liked everything about Draco.</p><p>"It worked, Draco," whispered Harry, who was not quite over the fact. Draco was clearly a human and he too felt no aftereffects or strange desires. Harry felt amazingly free, without having felt trapped before.</p><p>"You didn't doubt your own plan, did you?" asked Draco, still pressed on Harry's collarbone and smiling. With his eyes closed, he began to draw circles on Harry's chest with his finger, giving him goosebumps at once.</p><p>Harry stayed quiet, just smiled stupidly and looked down at the blond shock of hair. He wanted to wake up every morning like that, he never wanted to stop the kisses, he never wanted to have to miss that smell again. But something else lay heavy on his heart and he knew that there was no way around it. "What happens now, Draco?"</p><p>The Slytherin was silent, but his finger stopped in the midst of his movement before he admonished himself to continue his path. There was no way around the question, and although it would have been easier to keep quiet about it, that was certainly no solution if they were planning a future together. But that was the point, wasn't it? Did they want to plan a future together? They were free to leave, no curse was holding them together now. All possibilities could be weighed and seized.</p><p>"I don't know," Draco admitted calmly, opening his eyes and gazing at Harry, who expressed pure understanding. He knew how Draco felt because he was going through exactly the same emotions.</p><p>"Maybe we should begin by thinking about what we really want. Not what some curse wants or your parents or our friends want, but just us. So we can play with an open hand and start over." Harry knew he was right about what he said. They had never had enough time to think about themselves or their future. There had hardly been time to think about these new feelings and now they had the time, as well as the opportunity. Not to use it would perhaps be a mighty mistake.</p><p>"Yes, apparently we should do that," Draco murmured, closed his eyes again and snuggled closer to Harry as if afraid he would jump up to leave at once. But in Draco's voice, the silent encouragement was heard, so he agreed with Harry, which made it a little easier. He didn't mean to hurt Draco. He just wanted to state the obvious.</p><p>They would realize how they felt about each other and then they would have enough time to talk about it. Only then would they have to think about everything else. Reconciling their lives wouldn't be easy but it would be possible if they both knew they wanted it.</p><p>"Oh, before I forget," Harry started and pressed a kiss on Draco's forehead. "Happy Birthday!" The light smile on Draco's lips intoxicated his heart and he probably already at this moment knew the answer to the question he would ask himself in the next weeks. <em>What or who did he really want?</em></p><p>~</p><p>The summer sun was so high in the sky that Harry had to squint his eyes to see anything at all. The shrieking and cheering of his classmates sounded from the lake to the Main Entrance Gates of Hogwarts and brought a smile to his face. He still remembered every minute he spent at the lake and decided not to go swimming with his friends for that very reason.</p><p>The N.E.W.T. exams had been two weeks ago, the last results had been received a few days ago and Harry could be surprisingly proud of himself. He was only just above average with his grades, but considering the stress he had been under before, his grades were great. The fact that Draco was second best after Hermione in the exams had to remain unmentioned because he had gone through the same stress.</p><p>Draco... After their last night together, they had only talked to each other once more. Right after their practical potion exams, but both of them had realized that the time for reflection had been too short beside all the exams, so they hadn't exchanged any endearments or truths except for a much too short kiss.</p><p>Harry missed Draco with such intensity that he sometimes became afraid of it. Everything in him longed for him and every look at the Slytherin table made it just harder to resist the desire and to be patient. He had forced himself to think. About everything that had happened, about everything that might come and one thing was certain. He wanted Draco to be part of his future. Even weeks after their adventure, Harry's heart still belonged to the Slytherin. The feelings hadn't just come from the curse, they hadn’t stopped, and he was ready to tell him so. Only when? Draco needed time as much as Harry did, so how was he supposed to know if the time had come to do something?</p><p>Harry sighed, leaned against the cool stone of the Gate and followed Ron and Hermione with his gaze, who were on their way to the lake. It was good to see them so happy; it was good to know that a great future awaited them even after Hogwarts. But it was also nerve-racking and reminded Harry again that he urgently needed to speak to Draco - no - wanted!</p><p>"Lonely without your friends?"</p><p>Surprised, Harry winced and turned to the source of the voice. Draco stood a few meters away from Harry, leaning against the stone as well and watching him amused. How long had he been standing there? And could he still read Harry's mind? That would be most unpleasant, because just by seeing Draco, Harry imagined the most indecent things he wanted to do with him.</p><p>With his heart thumping like mad, Harry seized the opportunity and walked a few steps towards Draco until he came to a halt right in front of him. "No, lonely without you." Harry bit his lip, cursing himself inwardly because that had been a bit too direct.</p><p>Draco, however, crossed his arms in front of his chest, smiling amusedly, "Took you long enough to realise that," he remarked. Did Draco sound sulky? Maybe a teeny tiny bit.</p><p>Harry sighed theatrically while his head nodded as if by magic. "I know, and I’m suffering every second the clock ticks on." He grinned and brushed a blond strand of hair out of Draco's face as if it was a matter of course.</p><p>"Perhaps I should agree to free you from your misery, even if you owe this torment to your own intuition," Draco thought aloud, reached for Harry's hand on his face and intertwined their fingers. The passing students who glanced curiously at them had never been so unimportant.</p><p>Harry's grin widened and he pulled Draco with their interlaced fingers away from the wall into his own arms. "I beg you, be my saviour, Draco," he whispered to soft lips and caught Draco's warm breath. Oh, how he had missed this and how clear was the answer. His heart and stomach area explained in their own way how much they were thrilled by the closeness to Draco.</p><p>"I still don't believe in fairy tales, Harry," Draco breathed, and drew his lips to a smile. The comforting feeling of peace took hold of Harry's whole body and he saw in Draco’s eyes the one thing he had wished for him so much: freedom. "But I believe in you and me," Draco finished the sentence before he finally united their lips in a kiss.</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>You will charm them, towards you they’ll gravitate</em><br/>
<em>but your powers will fade,</em><br/>
<em>with the one, your saviour,</em><br/>
<em>the one that escapes the fate of the sailor.</em><br/>
<em>On dawn of your 20th birthyear,</em><br/>
<em>The decision will be clear.</em><br/>
<em>Lose your purity and you’ll be free,</em><br/>
<em>Stay innocent and you’ll follow the cry of the sea.</em><br/>
<em>Forever subjected to the waves,</em><br/>
<em>Or bound through love to the one that saves.</em><br/>
<em>Your destiny will be the way,</em><br/>
<em>until even finiteness fades away.</em><br/>
<em>Sweet love of two sharing one fate will cut the story terse,</em><br/>
<em>they will be spared the wreckful cruelty of the curse.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>~~~~~</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>„I don’t believe in fairy tales but I believe in you and me”- Wonderland by Natalia Kills</p><p>IT'S MERMAY!</p><p>There's also a little deleted scene on Tumblr for this story ( https://samyistrying.tumblr.com/post/616631473436590080/i-just-wanted-to-say-i-read-your-fic-curse-of ). It's about Harry touching *the tail*^^<br/>Omg and there's even art for this scene! Read below who drew it XD<br/>( https://pauleonotis.tumblr.com/post/619458644358103040/samyistrying-okay-okay-listen-you-cant-expect )</p><p>AND THERE'S MORE ART! The lovely Pauleonotis (on Tumblr) DREW OUR PRETTY MER!DRACO! (He's sososo pretty) AND she drew the BEST scene because Draco is saving Harry's arse and that's just a nice scene XD<br/>( https://pauleonotis.tumblr.com/post/618301572080861184/okay-so-this-is-a-fanart-i-did-a-some-days-ago-of )<br/>( https://pauleonotis.tumblr.com/post/643220059472461825/a-couple-of-days-ago-i-was-rereading-the-curse-of )</p><p>Oh boy, and we have even more art! The talented ajuna_hp_art (on Instagram) also drew Draco and he looks ABSOLUTELY stunning!<br/>( https://www.instagram.com/p/CLHK8yIBBYk/?hl=de ) </p><p>Thank you so much for reading this little fanfiction, I hope you had fun!<br/>And special Thanks to Larni for saving my arse more than a million times! You're truly the BEST!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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